To Hate or To Like?
by Out-of-order123
Summary: -/COMPLETED/- Ponyboy hates Steve and Steve hates Ponyboy. They say you shouldn’t judge a person until you’ve walked in their shoes. What if something like that changed their feelings toward each other or… kept them the same? *NOT A SLASH*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders.

Summary: Ponyboy hates Steve and Steve hates Ponyboy. They say you shouldn't judge a person until you've walked in their shoes. What if something like that changed their feelings toward each other or… kept them the same?

Post book (not related to my other stories)

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_**To Hate or To Like?**_

**~Steve~**

"Want to come, Ponyboy?" Soda asked his younger brother. I glared at Ponyboy.

"Sure, I guess," Pony replied. I didn't like the kid. I never had.

The three of us were walking into the drive-in, but instead of paying and walking in, we sneaked in through a hole in the fence. I saw Ponyboy beam up when he realized it was a Paul Newman movie. The kid digged movies and books too much. I didn't understand why.

"Paul Newman movie, huh, Ponyboy, well, did you get lucky tonight?" Soda said happily. I frowned, but then sighed and realized I should stop being a brat. Maybe the kid ruined my chances of having some time with just Soda for the night, but I could enjoy some other way. Besides, Pony did need to get out more.

"Hey, Steve, can you get some popcorn and drinks? Sorry, I don't want to leave Ponyboy by himself," Soda requested.

"Sure, Soda," I replied casually. Inside though, all hope of a good night was burned down.

Later on, I walked home alone. I had told Soda and Pony I should head home now. I hadn't seen my dad in a few days, and I thought I should go back. My mom needed me there. I was the one standing in between them. I would've run away otherwise. When I'd reached home, my dad was passed out on the couch-a clear sign he had had a good night and most likely earned himself a job. I tip-toed to the television and turned it off. I grabbed the beer out of my dad's hands and threw it in the trash in the kitchen.

The night hadn't turned too bad. Pony was real into the movie, so Soda and stuck around and flirted with girls until it was finished.

In my room, I glanced at the clock. Almost midnight. I remembered the fortune cookie in my pocket. We had stopped by the Dingo after the movie and found Two-Bit. The funny guy had grabbed a bunch of fortune cookies from a restaurant he took his girlfriend Kathy to. Kathy had wanted a fancy and normal night with him for once. That didn't work out too well. I laughed at the story Two-Bit told them about their "fancy and normal" night. Then, he had handed a few of the fortune cookies he grabbed to us.

I pulled the cookie out of my pocket and read the fortune:

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

"Whatever that means," I murmured and climbed into my bed after putting the paper back into my pocket. Soon, sleep overcame me and I was looking forward to a better day.

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**~Ponyboy~**

"Sure, I guess," I replied. I was uncertain because of Steve's glare. Then again, I hadn't gone out too much since Johnny and Dally's deaths. I knew this may bring some fresh air to my brain. So, I chose to go with Soda and his best friend to the movies.

We snuck in through a hole in the fence, and I was happy I decided to come because there was a Paul Newman movie coming on. Soda had asked Steve to go buy some popcorn and drinks, but I couldn't have cared less.

I was too absorbed in the movie. I had forgotten Steve had come in the first place, too. Sodapop and he had gone off somewhere. I knew they wouldn't have left me just like that, so I kept myself absorbed in the movie.

When the movie was over, Soda and Steve came back. I was right, they had stuck around.

"How about we drive to the Dingo? It's still a bit early," Soda suggested. He was still full of energy. I wouldn't mind going to the Dingo either, but I glanced at Steve. He looked content enough, so I agreed to come even if I hated spending more time with the boy.

Now, there we had to meet…Two-Bit. His on and off girlfriend, Kathy, had gotten tired of Two-Bit fooling around the restaurant they went to. So, they came to the Dingo instead to go their separate ways for the rest of the night. Apparently, Two-Bit had some real kicks at the place because he kept going on and on about what he did there.

Before we were about to leave, he gave each of us some fortune cookies he managed to grab. To annoy Steve though, he gave him only one. I tried to hide my smile. I enjoyed seeing Steve annoyed, sometimes. Other time, he may be annoyed of me which irritates me at the same time.

"I think I'm going home tonight. See ya'll tomorrow," Steve said while we were standing in front of our house. I was happy. I didn't want to wake up a fifth day to see Steve lying on the couch. Soda said bye and ran after me up the pathway. I had already reached the door.

"Let's open a fortune cookie!" Soda yelled joyfully. I nodded my head and grabbed one out of my pocket, cracked it open, and read it aloud:

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

"What does that mean?" Soda asked curiously.

"I don't know," I replied. Suddenly, I felt icky and stood up to go take a shower.

"Where you going?"

"Shower," I yelled back to Soda. I noticed Darry wasn't home yet. I knew he would be when I'd step out of the shower. I was going to head out more, I decided. That would start tomorrow.

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 Reviews! Please! 


	2. Chapter 2

**~Steve~**

"Ugh…" I moaned in the morning and rolled over to find my best friend sleeping beside me. I immediately went wide-eyed and jumped out of the bed.

"What the hell?" I muttered to myself. I felt shorter and I looked around the bedroom. It wasn't mine. It was the one Soda and Ponyboy shared, but what was I doing there?

I tried to remember what had happened last night. I had told Soda and Pony I'd be going home and found my dad passed out. Then, I had the read that dumb fortune and went to bed. So, why was I here? I couldn't have just sleep walked here or something, could've I?

Then, I went in the bathroom to look at myself and freshen up.

"Maybe I'm dreaming," I muttered. I looked at myself in the mirror and splat a splash of water on my face. I paused for a moment and looked again at the mirror. That wasn't me that was looking back to me in the mirror. I touched the hair on my supposedly head and it was long and reddish-brown when I pulled it down to see.

"Shit," I cursed. I looked down at the clothes this body was wearing and cursed some more. What the hell was I doing in Ponyboy's body? I went back to his room.

"Hey, Pony…" Soda greeted sleepily.

"Mornin' Soda," I replied and continued, "I'm going for a run."

That was what Ponyboy would do, right? I mean he was a good-runner. I looked around for his sneakers and grabbed some nice jogging clothes. Then, I headed to the bathroom to actually freshen up.

While I ran, I wondered about how I ended up like this. I was Ponyboy! I wasn't about to tell Soda what happened. He'd think I was off my nut or something. There was also the possibility I was dreaming or maybe I died and this was hell. I abruptly stopped to take a breath. I couldn't believe I was actually going for a run. Then, I noticed I stopped a block away from my house.

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**~Ponyboy~**

The next morning I had woken up without Soda at my side. I remembered how he fell right beside me after I crawled into bed. Then, I stared up into the ceiling. I remembered thinking once what it'd be like staring at a different ceiling of a different home someday, like at a boys' home instead of mine. Now, I knew. It didn't feel right. I sat up on the bed and wondered if I was carried into a boys' home in the middle of the night.

Then, I noticed this room looked vaguely familiar. I looked around a little more. There were a few car magazines lying around. It still didn't hit me.

Where am I? I thought. I opened the door of the bedroom and walked out. My head tilted forward and looked left and right. I knew this place. I did, but I didn't remember.

Soon, I was leaning against the door in a daydream. My wild imagination was getting to me. I fell out of my daze when I heard the front door slam and a truck drive off. Then, I needed to go to the bathroom. It didn't take long to find it. There was only one other empty bedroom and then, the bathroom.

I rushed in and well…did my business. While I was washing my hands, I realized my hands were rougher. Then, I noticed my hair was still greased. I had taken a shower last night that washed out all the grease. When it fell over my eyes, I noticed it was dark brown instead of reddish-brown-thicker, too.

"Hmmm," I turned to look in the mirror and found somebody I hated.

"My imagination is really getting to me or this could be some nightmare…" I said. I looked an awful lot like Steve until I realized why there were car magazines on the floor of the bedroom I woke up in and why this place was vaguely familiar. It finally hit me, this was Steve's house and since I looked a lot like Steve…maybe I was him.

"Nightmare…I agree," I decided and marched downstairs. My stomach or let's say, Steve's stomach, growled. It felt completely empty. I looked around the kitchen, but found nothing interesting expect toast. Not even butter. The toast would have to do. This explained why Steve was lean; he barely had anything to eat.

Unexpectedly, the door was slammed open. Oh no, I thought. If it was Steve's dad, I was going to be dead. I turned around from the counter to see…me.

"Who are you?" I asked stupidly. Who else was it? That was me, but then if I were in Steve and in me, then…this didn't make sense.

"Well, better question, who are you?" Yeah, that voice sure sounded like mine.

"I look like Steve, don't I?" I said casually. I wasn't freaking out or anything for some reason. I didn't feel anything- just hungry.

"You sure do…" the boy muttered.

"You look like Ponyboy," I stated.

"Yeah and I don't know that," he said sarcastically.

"So, you are Ponyboy?" I asked.

"I look like him, but what do you think?"

"You are?"

He sighed and seemed to be getting irritated. I noticed his personality didn't suit my body. It suited somebody I knew… No…this couldn't be happening.

Freaky Friday…yes, but it's not exactly how this idea came to me…so review!


	3. Chapter 3

**~Steve~**

After I noticed I was a block away from my house, I forced myself to pick up my feet and find out where I (my body) was. The, door was left open…again. So, I walked into the kitchen and saw myself looking at me in shock.

"Who are you?" he asked. Stupid question…I would know who the person standing in front of me was if I were him, so I said, "Better question: who are you?"

"I look like Steve, don't I?" he replied.

"You sure do," I muttered. After a few more stupid questions, I began to figure out that somebody else was in my body. I knew myself pretty well, and that wasn't me.

"You aren't Steve, are you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Actually, I am and I'm wondering who you are!" I yelled.

"Even in my body, you still act the same," he murmured. I shook my head, this could not be true. It couldn't be possible.

"I'm dreaming…"I said.

"I think it's a nightmare."

"No, you're Ponyboy and I'm Steve but I'm in your body and you're in mine! This isn't reality!" I began yelling. My hands began shaking and I continuously shook my head. Why did Pony seem so content with this? Did he feel anything or was it just zero? He probably was sure it was a dream and it'd be over soon. That was it! No wonder he didn't care, I mean he would if this were real? Ugh, I'll just wait and see what happens.

"Have something to eat yet?" Pony asked casually. I noticed my stomach was empty. I shook my head and went to the counter beside Pony to grab a slice of toast.

"Is this all you ever eat every morning?" he asked.

"Is it bothering you?"

"Not really, but I mean there isn't much here and I was just wonderin'…"

"Well, I'm sorry my house can't fulfill your needs, your majesty," I snapped angrily. Just because he had someone usually make him breakfast every morning and enough food for three meals a day, at least two sometimes, he didn't have to go on about my own supply of food.

"They aren't joking when they say curiosity can kill the cat," Pony said calmly and quietly, most likely trying to back away from my bad side. Well, he's been on it for years, so it's going to take years to get off.

Then, I remembered I had to go to work that day. I sighed and wondered if Ponyboy could fix a car. Maybe he could ask boss to allow him to pump gas or stay on the counter. There was high doubt for that when you're known around as the best mechanic. I wondered whatever happened to this being dream.

**~Ponyboy~**

I chew on the toast for a couple of minutes, wishing I wasn't right. I didn't want this to be happening. I didn't want to be Steve. I _hate_ him, well, sometimes. In general, he wasn't what I'd call a good buddy of mine. This was like hating me. Steve had finished his slice of bread and grabbed for another.

"Do you know how to fix a car?" Steve asked. I thought about that. I knew a few things here and there, but, I replied, "Not really."

Steve didn't say anything, and so I asked curiously, "Did you tell Soda anything?"

"For he'd send me to the whack shack? No, sirrebub," he replied.

"He's going to need to know."

"I thought you said this was a nightmare?" Steve fired a question back at me.

"Well, could a nightmare look so real and last so long?"

"No, but it could be," Steve rejected stubbornly. So, I looked in the drawers for a knife until I remembered I still had jeans on. My hands went to the back pocket and came out with a nice shiny switchblade.

"Let's see, then," I suggested. I remembered whenever you're about to be done for good in a nightmare, you immediately wake up.

"A little cut won't hurt, how about right above your heart or slicing your head off wouldn't be bad?" I started thinking revengefully.

"I see where you're getting at. Back me up in a corner," Steve approved. I was surprised he agreed and didn't object and try to convince me to be the one backed up into a corner. But, I shrugged and walked toward him threateningly with the blade in my hand.

"Any last words?" I added for effect.

"You've gotta to be kidding me…"

"I'll take that," I said and then, pushed Steve against the wall. I brought up both of his hands and held them together above his head. My other hand had the blade gliding smoothly under his chin. I watched a little blood drip down and was going to repeat the motion but with more force until Mrs. Randle walked in.

"Steve! What are you doing to such a helpless kid?" she yelled. I opened my mouth, but no words came to mind. I remained speechless while the real Steve tried to suppress a smile. My hands let go of Steve and I slipped the switchblade back into the back pocket of my jeans. Mrs. Randle walked toward him and embraced him in a hug.

"Are you okay? Oh dear, you're bleeding. I'll be right back," Mrs. Randle said with concern and gave Pony a glare before she left the kitchen. Steve though found paper towels and wiped the blood off. Then, he washed his neck. His smile was no longer held in.

"So…you know how to a fix a car?" he asked again, but this time with a smirk. I frowned, and marched upstairs to his bedroom to find his DX clothes. I didn't care if Soda thought we were nuts, I was going to tell him.

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So, it seems like it isn't a dream. You never know…so again I ask for you to review!


	4. Chapter 4

**[A/N] I apologize for the short chapter...well...kind of short.**

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~Steve~

I couldn't help smiling when my mom came back with the towel she always uses for wounds. I pointed at the roll of paper towel, and she sighed.

"Tell me if he does something like that again," she said. I nodded my head, attempting really hard to hold my laughter. It felt good to not get in trouble.

I could _enjoy _being Ponyboy. I mean the homework's going to be easy because I've already learned the stuff he's doing. I have no bills to pay, and no job to go to. Well, I could stop by at the DX and fix a car or two. Oh, not to mention tagging along everywhere Soda and Pony go. That would give Ponyboy something to think about next time he decides to come with us somewhere.

Well, that'd only happen if nobody knew, but Pony was ready as ever to tell Soda everything. I wasn't. I heard him coming down the stairs. He seemed to easily find my DX clothes. I gave him an approval smile.

"Not to hard to find. Just look down at the floor," Pony explained. I let that go because it was the truth.

"Are you going to tell Soda?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't care if he's going to think we're nuts, I'll prove it to him somehow."

"You couldn't wait a day or two? What if being each other won't be so bad?" I could believe I was saying that. I would never trade my body for Pony's. Never.

"For you can be fourteen again and I can be seventeen before I really will be?"

I shrugged. I didn't think I'd mind being fourteen again, but my name wasn't really Steve and I was fourteen. My name was _Ponyboy_ and I was fourteen. There's a flaw.

"We could try."

"I still am goin' to tell Soda," he stated, his decision well made. My decision was not tell my best buddy, so I was going to stop that from happening.

**~Ponyboy~**

Steve and I were walking our way to my house. I could tell Steve didn't want Soda to know, but I was going to tell. He'd eventually have to know, so it was either sooner or later. I choose sooner.

"Hey, Soda!" I greeted loudly and slapped him across the back while he was eating breakfast.

"Hi, Steve," he said with his mouth full.

"Close your mouth," I advised. Steve went over to eat the plate of food on the table meant for me, well, now for him.

"What were you and Steve doing Pony?" Soda asked curiously. Steve shrugged and said, "I met him while I was running."

"So are you two buddies now?" Soda teased.

"No…but we do gotta tell you something," I said while stealing a glance at Steve.

"What is it?" Soda asked.

"Well, when we…" I began saying slowly until Steve cut me off, "He means when _I…_"

He stopped talking with a very threatening look. I narrowed my eyes, but began talking again, "When _we _woke up this morning…"

"Soda!! Get ready for work, now!" Darry yelled from his room.

"Oops, tell me later, Steve, will ya'?" Soda said and ran to our shared room.

"I'll tell ya' real fast right now, okay?" I said and followed up him into the bedroom. Steve was behind me, and in the room with us, too. I didn't know it, but he had grabbed a pillow, and before I could manage something to say, he pounded it on my head.

"What the hell?" I screamed and grabbed the other pillow and hit him back. He responded by pushing me onto the ground with the pillow. Soon, we were smacking our pillows at each other and feathers were flying around us. Then, he jumped on top of me. His knees were on my elbows and I wondered how much my body weighed because that hurt.

"When we woke up this morning, we weren't each other. Steve was me and I was him!" I said extremely fast. Steve got off of me, kicked me in the ribs and whispered, "Bastard."

"So, Steve, when you woke up this morning, you were Steve?" Soda laughed. I went back to what I said and realized I said it wrong.

"No, I'm not Steve. I woke this morning as Steve, yeah, but I'm not him," I said more clearly.

"And I'm not Ponyboy," Steve muttered angrily.

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Reviews are welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

**~Steve~**

"And I'm not Ponyboy," I muttered angrily. I couldn't do anything now; Ponyboy had said the whole thing. I figured that Soda would eventually have to know, so now I had to choose sooner than later.

"You lost me," Soda said.

"I am Ponyboy," Ponyboy said. Sodapop began laughing.

"It's not funny!" I screamed at my best friend. I thought he would think we were nuts, but I had forgotten that Sodapop was a real joker. This was what I was supposed to expect.

"What do you mean? This is the dumbest prank…" he stopped because his laughter was dominating his body. Soda was now rolling on the floor.

"I'm Steve and he's Ponyboy, okay? We are not joking!" I yelled louder.

"We'll prove it to you!" Pony yelled.

"Prove it? How?" Soda had stood up and was now challenging us.

"I don't know," Pony replied.

"Of course you don't," I said crossly. Soda looked at the clock on the wall and sighed.

"Steve, we have to go. Can ya'll prove this later?" Soda chuckled.

"Yeah, like I'm going to work as Pony!" I screamed. Soda stopped at the doorway and turned around.

"Who was our kindergarten teacher, Steve?" Soda asked.

"Mrs. Winterbottom, we nicknamed her Mrs. Frostbite," I answered. Pony looked confused, but I remembered then that it looked like to Soda, it was me confused.

"Pony…what game does it seems like I'm the middle man in, in this house?" Soda asked. Now, it was my turn to be bewildered.

"Tug-o-war," he answered. Sodapop cocked an eyebrow, a trick he picked up from Two-Bit.

"Coming?" he asked and walked out of the room.

**~Ponyboy~**

He thought we were joking, playing a prank! When would I ever joke about being Steve? Hell, I don't even joke at all and only play pranks whenever Two-Bit somehow convinces me to help him in one! Now, he was firing questions at each of us.

Then, I realized, there were things about Soda I didn't know. There were things about Soda that Steve didn't know either. It was like we each knew a bit of him, or we each shared half. Funny, I mean not funny, but you know what I mean.

"Why did I ask to marry Sandy even when she said the kid wasn't hers?" Sodapop asked.

"You loved her," Steve replied.

"You were in love with her," I answered. Well, there was something we both knew. I didn't understand how he could ask such a question, he still wasn't completely over Sandy, but I shrugged the thoughts off.

"How old am I?" Soda asked. We both thought he was joking until we saw his face was serious.

"Seventeen," we said in unison.

"Sodapop, buddy, stop it, you know it's us, and that we're not…the same," Steve interrupted after he had had enough.

"But it ain't possible," Soda stuttered.

"Well, I think we just proved it is," I said and tilted my chair back. He asked both of us everything he could think of all day. Now, it was eight o' clock and we were back home waiting for Darry and possibly Two-Bit to come to eat dinner with us.

"We ain't tellin' Darry though and don't even get near Two-Bit," Steve warned. Sodapop laughed, "Yeah, tellin' him something is like tellin' the whole world."

"So, then what are you guys gonna do?" Soda asked. We both shrugged.

"Ya'll wanna be stuck like this forever?" Soda choked on his words.

"Shoot, you think we know what to do!?" Steve exclaimed.

"Well, you're both smart, ya'll must have an idea," Soda said sheepishly. Steve and I glanced at each other, realizing we both had no light bulb lighting up over our heads, I said, "We got nothin'."

"Darry might…" Soda began saying, but Steve interrupted, "We know the guy's smart and all and maybe he could crack our heads together to make it happen, but this is something supernatural. I don't think any of us…no…anybody in this neighborhood knows what's happening to us."

I thought about what he said. Steve was right. This was something supernatural. It wasn't something that occurred everyday. Also, with the kinds of brains our neighborhood had, we probably knew more about how to knock somebody out cold other than how to knock somebody back to their own body.

"How about we just wait and see? Maybe this is something temporary," I suggested.

"Yeah…how long is temporary?" Steve asked. I thought about it. He had another point; this could last a long time. Maybe a week, month, a year, a couple of years…

"Let's wait a few days…a week actually, then, we'll take some action," Soda decided and our wait began.

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[A/N]So all of you think it's funny, huh? Well, we'll see then…I'll try. First, I need to try making this chapters longer.


	6. Chapter 6

**~Steve~**

At the DX the next day, I was real close to peeing in my pants. I couldn't stop laughing. Ponyboy didn't know a thing about how to fix the car. I remember Soda and I taught him a few things here and there, but he didn't know a thing! Shit, I couldn't hold myself.

"Could you stop laughing and come help me?" he snapped.

"Wait," I said and continued laughing. I calmed down and said, "I never knew how funny I looked whenever I'm clueless."

"Probably never were clueless," Ponyboy mumbled.

"Probably," I agreed and helped him out. At the end of the day, I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I guess it was because Ponyboy and I collaborated the whole day. It was the longest time I ever spent with the kid. We didn't have a quarrel, not even once.

Ponyboy was inside the house while Sodapop and I hung around the front porch.

"Got along real good today, huh?" Sodapop inquired. I nodded my head and said, "The best we ever had."

Soda cocked an eyebrow and I asked, "What? You don't believe your best friend."

He was standing on the pathway and kicked a rock. He replied, "No, I don't believe you _are _my best friend."

"How else are we supposed to prove it to you?"

He shook his head and said, "No, I believe you're my best friend, but I don't believe it. When I look at you, I think of Ponyboy, but I have to stop a moment and remember you're actually Steve. Ya' dig?"

"Yeah…"

Then, I went inside to see what Ponyboy was doing. He began talking before I even said anything.

"Shoot, Steve, how do you live with such little food?"

"How do you not become obese with so much food?" I snapped. He looked taken aback. He shrugged, and said, "I'm just saying that I eat a bread of toast and I'm not hungry anymore."

"Yeah? Well, how does it feel to me whenever I eat a whole lot and then, still am hungry?" I asked. There went our collaboration for the day.

"I lived with it," he murmured.

"Then, you can live with barely eating anything," I said.

"Or eating nothing at all," he said.

"I do eat, just not like a pig," I retorted and went to 'my' room.

**~Ponyboy~**

At the DX, I had to watch Steve laugh for what seemed like twenty minutes straight until he finally agreed to help me. The boy looked like he was about to pee in his pants, but I wasn't about to ask. Soon, we were getting along just fine. We have before, but it was strange since there were no snappy remarks or any attitude all day. I'm sure we both thought it was going to last, but it wasn't until the snappy remarks kicked back in or… maybe it was the attitude.

Whatever happened, Steve called me a _pig._ I was only joking about how he eats so little. There he blows up and I'm surprised he didn't slug me. I sat on the kitchen table. I was stumped and felt grumpy. Soon, Sodapop walked in.

"What happened?" he asked while he grabbed out the plate of chocolate cake from the fridge.

"Steve called me a pig," I said before I could think about it more. He didn't _directly _call me a pig, but he called me one. _Indirectly._

"What'd you say?" he asked. It took me a moment to realize that he knew that it was me who started the fight. He must've been listening.

"I was asking him how he lived with eating so little and he just got mad," I explained. Sodapop nodded his head in understanding. When he saw I was still in a bad mood, he grinned and said, "Don't worry about it. Steve just wants to maintain his girlish figure. Stay lean, ya' know?"

I laughed. It made sense. The way he cared so much about his hair, he probably cared a lot about his body, too. That didn't sound too right, however. It made me feel better though. Sodapop stood up after he finished a slice of cake. I grabbed another slice before he could say anything.

"I'm going to go check on girly Steve," Soda said. He paused and ordered, "Don't tell him I said that or the girlish figure thing."

I nodded my head and stood up, too. I walked into the living room and lied down on the couch. I grabbed the remote and began mindlessly flipping from channel to channel. Darry walked in a couple of minutes later.

"Hey, Steve, are you staying over?" he asked. I shrugged. Steve and I avoided too much contact with anybody but Sodapop and ourselves. We didn't want to get carried away. Somebody was going to come up and make one of us take a risk though. I could feel it.

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[A/N] I had to rewrite this chapter because it was lost, so it's probably not as good as it first was. I also apologize for the slow update. Please review anyways!


	7. Chapter 7

**~Steve~**

I laughed when Ponyboy said he had a feeling somebody was going to come and make one of us take a risk.

"It's possible! What if…" Ponyboy went into thought.

"What if…Evie came?" he finished off. I thought about it. That would be a problem. I realized _she_ was going to be a problem.

"You okay with getting into a girl's panties?" I asked. Ponyboy went red and said, "Not exactly." I wasn't exactly okay with him getting into my girl's panties either.

"Fine, just pray she won't come," I said and prayed myself, too. Literally, I started making a little prayer in my mind. _Oh Lord, please don't let Evie talk to Ponyboy. Oh Lord please, I won't ever do a sin again. _I immediately regretted saying that because I had just committed a sin. I had lied and to God. A very bad deed. I sighed and asked for forgiveness.

While I sat in the backseat of the Ford, my mind started wondering about when I started believing in God. Oh God, I thought. Oh _God_, I wasn't being myself at all. I hoped helping Ponyboy fix a car would bring me back to normal.

It did. When I allowed Ponyboy to do the rest by himself though, I noticed a very familiar girl walking toward us. She had dark brown hair and light-brown eyes and normally, I'd be happy to see her, but today, well, I just wasn't myself.

"Ponyboy…somebody just came," I said quietly so only he could here.

"Huh?" he stood up to give me a bewildered look.

"_Somebody just came and will be a problem,"_ I emphasized on every word. He cocked an eyebrow and turned around to where I was looking and said, "Oh."

All he said was "Oh" and he was the one complaining about how something bad would happen. I really didn't like that kid.

"I hope you know how to act in front of your girlfriend, 'cause I ain't helpin'," I said while Evie walked closer and closer. Ponyboy looked a little cool, but he was nervous. I could tell. He was gritting his teeth.

"Can't you tell her?" he asked nervously. Well, now he reacts. I don't know if I could. I liked Evie…a lot. Actually, I pretty much loved her, but I was a little hesitant about telling her about what happened.

"I ain't the boyfriend," I said and, like a friend shouldn't do, left him. I stayed close enough, so I could hear what they'd be saying. I didn't know that Ponyboy frowned at my back and went back to the car. But…I did know that Ponyboy could lie real easily. I hoped he would use the ability as advantage.

**~Ponyboy~**

Fuck Steve, I thought. He left me with _his _girlfriend. Now, she was jabbering on about how he was a complete louse on their last date to _me_. I couldn't resist grinning when she yelled, "And you spilled your Coke on my blouse! I told you it was new! And you're smiling. Ugh, you are just horrible."

I bit my lip to make myself stop, but a chuckle came out. Evie got furious. My face went straight when she gave me a look. I knew Steve would pound me if his girlfriend broke up with me…or him, I wasn't going to have that happen. She began tapping her foot impatiently and I guessed this probably happened very often because she was expecting me to do something.

"Okay, baby, I'm sorry, okay? I promise next time I won't be like that. Forgive me," I apologized for Steve. He had better thank me. She smiled and leaned up to give me a kiss. I wouldn't consider it my first kiss, sadly.

"Good, since you're going to take me someplace real nice this Friday, right?"

"Uhuh," I said and she frowned.

"I will. Don't worry," I assured her and gave her a kiss back. I had no idea where that came from…felt natural actually. I shuddered after she left. It felt weird that I had kissed _Steve's _girlfriend. He owed me. I remembered the coke spill and smirked when Steve came.

"Well, then, you sure are a great boyfriend," I said. He rolled his eyes. I laughed out loud and threw the rag when I finished wiping my hand.

"You know what I wish you'd say to me?" I asked. He droned, "What?"

"Thank you."

"Oh, thanks," he said and looked uncomfortable. Then, he grinned, and said, "Looks like you've got a date coming up."

[A/N] Poor Ponyboy…and poor me if I don't get any reviews.


	8. Chapter 8

**~Steve~**

It was strange because I didn't mind Ponyboy going out with my girlfriend. I took it that I really wanted to keep Evie. It was going to be hard to do that when Ponyboy was completely or close to completely different than me.

I watched Sodapop give Pony tips on dating. We were lucky that Two-Bit hadn't walked in or he'd be throwing the laughing fit of the century. It looked like _I _was the one needing dating advice.

"Look, Soda, I think I'm fine now," Ponyboy said and Sodapop stopped talking.

"Where ya' taking her?" I asked. He shrugged.

"You know that little French restaurant outside of town?" I asked him. He nodded his head and said, "It's gonna cost me a lot, Steve."

"Girlfriends cost a lot, Pony," I told him. He sighed. He looked so pitiful, but I kicked that thought out of my head. I hated being pitied and I knew Ponyboy didn't like it either. I thought about if I could give him some cash.

"I cannot believe I'm gonna do this," I murmured and told Ponyboy where I stashed all my money in my room. When I meant _my_ room, I meant the one back at _my_ house where _my_ dad is, where _my_ mom is and where all _my_ stuff is. The place I was supposed to be. Since when was I missing my dad? I was going off my rocker.

"So, I have to go to your house?" he asked. Did he listen to what I just recently explained to him?

"Yes," I said simply. "You never were kicked out anyways."

"What if I am this time?" he asked.

"My dad has been in a good mood lately, so just don't bother him," I said. It didn't make him feel less anxious, but he stayed quiet. He left after Darry came and we had dinner. I couldn't help, but feel anxious, too. It was a little anxiety somewhere deep, deep in my heart. He'd do fine. He would.

It sounded like I was trying to convince myself and that bothered me. I had no reason to be worried. My dad had received himself a new job recently; he shouldn't be in any bad moods. The more I thought about it, I knew that nothing would happen.

**~Ponyboy~**

The little French restaurant outside of town? Glory, I've heard of it and seen it. It was expensive and going to cost me a lot. I agreed with Steve though. Girlfriends did cost a lot.

"In my closet, there's a stack of old books in the corner," Steve said. I nodded my head. I was wondering where this was leading, too.

"Lift the books off and there's a hole…a big one," he said.

"In it, there's gonna be a box full of little knick-knacks and junk. Looks for a pouch with a broken zipper. There's a bunch of money in there, you can use it for the date," he finished off. Was this pity? He was practically handing me charity and I was planning to take it. What money did I have to spend on two dinners at some fancy restaurant?

"So, I have to go to your house?" I asked. I remembered how his dad would kick him out every week. Steve gave me a look like I was an idiot. He changed his expression and said, "Yes, you never got kicked out anyways."

Not yet at least. I didn't care if his dad was in a good mood a few days ago. It didn't mean he was in a good mood tonight. I gave Darry a nod as greeting when he walked in. He grinned and said he grabbed some fast food for dinner.

"You stayin' over again, Steve?" he asked me. I shook my head. I was a bit nervous inside.

"Come when you need to," Darry began saying.

"I know, Dar," I said and walked outside of the house. I hesitated at the gate, but knew I couldn't go back now. I walked to Steve's house absent-mindedly. I had been to his house only two or three times. I seemed to know the route by heart though. I pushed the door open quietly and the house greeted me in absolute darkness.

Then, I walked up the stairs and towards Steve's room. It was exactly how I left it. Some clothes scattered on the bed and magazines scattered on the floor. The bed was undone and the blinds were open. I walked to the window to close them and put all the clothes in a pile in the corner. I stacked the magazines and pushed them under the bed.

After that, I felt exhausted, but walked to the closet anyways. I dropped on my knees and looked at all four corners. I saw a stack of books in the top right corner and reached to pick them up. Under them, just as Steve said, there was a hole. My hand stretched into it and grabbed a box. I opened to find little toy cars, some baseball cars, a small rubber band ball, and a few other things. And then there was a pouch with a broken zipper with a stash of cash.

I put the pouch back and told myself to look back here on Friday, the day of the date. I decided to sleep in a bed tonight. The couch seemed to get old after awhile.

* * *

[A/N] What do you think?


	9. Chapter 9

**~Steve~**

I felt so calm and easy. Ponyboy looked so nervous and jittery. _I_ looked nervous and jittery. I vaguely remembered my first date. I was a bit nervous. Sodapop would say I'm under exaggerating. He said I was sweating like something awful. I didn't remember sweating at all.

"Ring the bell, she may give you a kiss, play along with that, she opens her own door for the car and then, listen to her bitchin' all the way to the restaurant," I said.

"What would she say if she heard you say that?" Ponyboy asked with a smirk.

"It's not what she would say, it's what she'd do…and say," I corrected.

"Yeah? What'd she do?" he asked, clearly knowing that it's happened before.

"She slapped me across my face and told me to go to hell," I said. It wasn't pleasant since Evie keeps her nails sharp as a tiger's, and not to mention long, too. Sodapop walked into the kitchen with a carton of chocolate milk.

"That was kinda funny, ya' know?" he said. Yeah, I knew how funny it was. It was real funny actually. I was telling Sodapop about Evie's bitching, and I didn't even realize she and Sandy were walking right behind us. Then, it was _hilarious_ when she came up to me and slaps me across the face.

"Can't you just tell her?" Ponyboy asked me. I forgot about Evie's bitching and replied, "No."

He stood up from the couch and walked to the wall. I thought he was going to punch it, but instead, Pony rested his forehead against it. It looked sad, but the boy was only going on a date. His _first _date and he looked sad. I remembered that this wasn't some cute girl he asked out, it was someone he was pretty close to forced to going with. It was _my_ girlfriend, not his. He only knew Evie's name and how she looked. Hell, he only knew her first name.

"Evie Harrison and I usually pick her up at eight, which is soon. Remember that, will you? Oh and her address is…" I said the address. He lifted his forehead off the wall and dug his hands in his pockets. He took out a bunch of bills and started mouthing numbers. He was counting how much he had.

"Evie Harrison, eight o' clock, 348 Willow Street," he said and I nodded my head.

"How much money did you take?" I asked.

"Well, since this isn't supposed to my date. So, I think I have the right to take how much ever I want," he replied. Even if he was right, it sounded like he was going to use the money to his advantage. He smirked and said,"I just might tell her."

I didn't believe he was brave enough, too. Boy, did I underestimate him.

Over two hours later, the door slammed open. Sodapop and I jerked our heads toward the door and saw Evie standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Ponyboy stood helplessly behind her, giving us a small smile which said everything.

**~Ponyboy~**

"348," I kept murmuring to myself until I finally found the house. It was small like most of the houses in our neighborhood, but the better looking of them. I took a deep breath before taking the key out of the ignition and jumping out of the car. I took calm steps up to the door and rang the bell.

"I'm going now, Mom!" Evie yelled as she open the door, stepped out and closed it behind her. I could hear her mother yelling from inside and sighed nervously. Evie kissed me on the cheek and smiled up at me.

"Missed you," she whispered breathlessly.

"Missed you, too," I whispered nervously. She smiled again and asked, "So, where we going?"

I merely shrugged and took her hand to lead her down the steps and to the truck waiting on the road. She was quiet and I think she was observing me.

"How's your dad?" she asked when we turned right off Willow Road and onto the highway.

"He got a new job," I stated and she nodded her head. _What? No bitching?_ I thought. Soon, she began talking about how her mom and dad think she's been going out too much lately and becoming a slut. She talked about various other subjects relating to her, but I zoned myself out from her until we reached the restaurant.

While we were eating something that was thank-god not snails, Evie put her fork down and stopped. She asked, "O.K. Stop it, Steve. What's going on?"

"Nothing, what's wrong with you?" I asked. She frowned and continued, "You're acting…nice and polite."

"And…" I urged for her to continue. I did joke to Steve that I may tell her about our little switch, but it was only a joke. I was thinking about reconsidering it as one…

"You're usually snappy," she said. _Snappy, _I echoed in my head. Steve was _snappy_. It could suit him at times, but he wasn't 'snappy' constantly. I shrugged and said, "Not tonight."

She sulked and refused to eat until I told her the reason behind my unusual behavior.

"I wanted to make up for last time. See, I didn't spill any Coke?" I gestured at the clean booth and table. She rolled her eyes, not convinced.

"I know you and this isn't you," Evie said steadfastly. I wanted to tell her she was right. I wanted to say, "I'm not Steve. Steve's at my house and I'm Ponyboy."

"Ponyboy?" she laughed. I went wide-eyed when I realized I spoke my thoughts out loud. I smacked myself on the head.

"You couldn't think of a better excuse, Steve?" she continued laughing.

"That's it. I'm _not_ Steve," I repeated.

"Stop joking."

"I'm not joking. Ask me anything," I said and raised my arms up in defeat.

"Where was our last date?" she asked. I thought about it, and started going, "Ummm…you went to the see the game?"

She nodded her head and I mentally slapped myself.

"Where did we go after the game?" she asked.

"Probably your house," I murmured.

"And what did we do at my house?" she asked. I thought about it and could only think of one thing. I could hear Steve's voice asking me'_ You okay with getting into a girl's panties?'_ Then, I could feel the heat rise up in my cheeks. I knew I was blushing of a deep red.

"Steve…" she said. I shook my head wordlessly.

"You want me to remind you…"she began saying and smiled mischievously.

"No, don't, please," I said. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't know what Steve knows about you, but I only know your name, where you live and…that you're his girlfriend," I rushed in my words.

"So, you don't know what tomorrow is?" she asked.

"No, well, yeah, it's Saturday…" I said.

"What date did we start going steady?" she asked. I closed my eyes and breathed out a frustrated sigh. How long had Steve and her been dating? I didn't remember. Frankly, I never cared about Steve's relationships. I still don't. I'm sitting in this crappy, expensive restaurant because I care about my face not being rearranged by Steve when we finally become ourselves again. I care about my eardrums not breaking by Steve's yelling when I go home tonight. _He's_ the one who's supposed to answer this question and be here.

Then, I counted to ten and breathed in and out once. I relaxed and replied, "I don't give a damn about when you and snappy Stevie started dating."

"If you're completely off your whack and think you're Ponyboy and not Steve, then why don't you take me to the real Steve?" she asked furiously.

"I will," I said and grabbed the keys from my pocket. I was content at the moment. All I had to do was drive her to my house and leave the rest to Steve. She followed after me and I paused. Then, I walked back and lay ten dollars on our table. Evie tapped her foot impatiently and followed me when I was finished with the task.

She was talking angrily in the truck about how I should be joking about this. I told her I wasn't and she said she'd give me a nice slap if I wouldn't shut up. So, I did and she quieted down, too. She was angry marching up the path and onto my porch.

Then, she slammed the door open and stood there in the family room waiting for an explanation. Steve and Sodapop were sitting on the couch watching the television and looked at me. I gave them a small smile and hoped it explained what happened.

"Evie," Steve greeted and tried to smile as nicely as he could.

[A/N] This is getting harder and harder to write. Thanks for the continuous reviews WordsANDpaper and The NightimeSky! You guys really keep me going and those who put this story on Story Alert, too!


	10. Chapter 10

**~Steve~**

I looked at her to see if she believed me after I told her everything that happened from the first day. She started yelling and going on about how crazy we were for playing such a horrible joke on her. Black tears were flowing down her cheeks because of the mascara.

"Evie, babe, it ain't a joke," I said. She narrowed her eyes at me and I narrowed mine, too.

"Of course, it ain't. It ain't possible for…for…" she couldn't think up an explanation for what happened to us.

"Us to suddenly not be ourselves?" I suggested.

"It ain't," she repeated.

"We just proved it is," I said and remembered Ponyboy telling Soda a similar phrase. Evie bit her lip and asked, "Do _you_ know what tomorrow is?"

I sighed and remembered.

"Our three-year anniversary," I replied. She smiled, but then, frowned.

"I'm not dating a fourteen-year old," she said stubbornly. I tried to hold my laugh. She was the one who sounded like a whiney five-year old.

"You ain't going to," I said.

"I ain't dating him either," she said, obviously referring to Ponyboy awkwardly standing behind her.

"You ain't," I said.

"Steve," she whined.

"If you can think of a way for us to be ourselves again, then, you're three-year anniversary will be perfect," I said.

"I barely believe it," she murmured.

"You just called me Steve," I said.

"I thought you hated Ponyboy," she said.

"I do," I mumbled.

"I can't think of anything, Steve."

"That's unfortunate for you, princess. That three-year anniversary will just have to wait," I replied sarcastically. I realized that was the last straw.

"No, it'll just not happen," she said quietly and stalked out of the house. I raised my eyebrows and decided not to run after her.

**~Ponyboy~**

I was impressed. Steve managed to keep a girl for three whole years, (subtract a day from that). Unfortunately, Evie didn't want to date a fourteen-year old who was actually her boyfriend or the seventeen-year old who looked like him, but was actually a fourteen-year old boy. _Too bad for her_, I thought.

"That's unfortunate for you, princess. That three-year anniversary will just have to wait," Steve said sarcastically after Evie was done yelling and seemed to believe us.

"No, it'll just not happen," she said and walked out. I gulped and waited for Steve to either pounce on me or run after her. Neither happened, but I stood there patiently anyways. I was still impressed by Steve. I didn't have an idea on how his girlfriend could call him 'snappy' and stay with him. Until tonight that is.

"It's normal for the boy to run after the girl…" Sodapop began saying and Steve whipped around.

"Yeah, but it ain't normal for a fourteen year old boy running after a seventeen year old one, Soda," he snapped.

"No offense taken," I said and walked to the couch to sit beside Sodapop. I remembered how I should go home tonight since I wasn't kicked out. I was grateful I hadn't triggered Mr. Randle's bad side for the past few days. I glanced at Steve sitting on the couch's armrest with a scowl on his face.

"You can always get her back after we get out of this mess," I assured.

"I know," he said. His scowl was gone, but he looked sullen. I decided to go and let him cool off.

"I'm going. Later," I fare welled. I walked slowly and quietly to Steve's house which I was forced to call home these days. His dad wasn't home, and I came to figure out he was at his new job since he didn't stagger home drunk when he came home at night.

I lay back on the bed in Steve's room and threw a small bouncy ball in the air and caught it and then repeated the process again and again. I couldn't think of any way to switch us back into our bodies. Getting Darry to knock our heads together seemed like something we could try, but not completely logical. If we could find some magical guru or something, they could probably help.

Then, I remembered how asking for something like that would be very strange. I could try though. My last thoughts were deciding to take a shower the next morning and then, drifted into sleep.

* * *

[A/N] Magical guru? Well, wouldn't you be desperate?

In my note in the last chapter, I noticed I misspelled WordsANDpaper and TheNightimeSky. I am really sorry about that. I should've checked before updating, but…well, I don't know.


	11. Chapter 11

**~Steve~**

"Magical guru…fortune teller…or…psychic?" I inquired.

"I don't think waiting is going to do anything. We've got to do something," Pony explained. I knew what he was saying. We needed to take some action now. I agreed with him. It was a good idea to look for some psychic person to explain what's happening to us. Maybe their fortunes could actually be true. I could believe anything in the state I was in.

"So are we going to ask every person we know in Tulsa if they know somebody who thinks they can see into the future…or think they can heal you because they can see ghosts or something?" I asked. Ponyboy shrugged and seemed to be thinking about something else other than the subject he recently brought up.

"I'm going to get some Coke, want a bottle?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"Think fast," I said and threw the wrench in his direction. He caught it without looking in my direction and then smirked. I walked out of the garage and into the store where David was standing behind the counter. He grinned when he saw me and I returned the greeting. Then, I grabbed two bottles of Coke from the cooler and walked back outside.

Pony heard my footsteps and rolled out from under the Mustang to get dibs on a Coke bottle. Even in my body, he still was a Pepsi addict, but Coke would have to do for him for now.

"Was the magical guru the only thing you wanted to tell me?" I asked. Ponyboy put down his Coke on the work bench and stayed quiet for minute.

"Yeah," he replied. I didn't believe him, but decided to ask him later. I scowled when I saw Evie coming towards the garage. Ponyboy took another gulp from his bottle and asked, "Should I go?"

I shook my head. He nodded his head and watched her come, too. If she really meant what she said yesterday, she wouldn't be coming at the moment. I sighed and was ready to listen to whatever she had to say. It really did hurt that she broke up with me the day before our three-year anniversary. I wanted her back, too, but it's difficult whenever you're not yourself.

**~Ponyboy~**

After Steve left to grab some Coke, I thought about what happened this morning. I went to go take a shower as I had planned and grabbed a pair of clean jeans from the floor and a new shirt from the closet and boxers from the drawers. When I stepped outside of the shower and was buttoning up my jeans, I saw a piece of paper sticking out of the right pocket.

I took it out and read it:

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

It looked distantly familiar and I felt a sudden _de ja vu. _Then, I figured out what the piece of paper was and turned it over and saw the lucky numbers. It must've been the fortune that came out of the one and only fortune cookie Two-Bit gave Steve last week. I remembered mine was similar to his…

I knew I should tell Steve what I found, but I wanted to make sure of myself and find my fortune. He must've sense I wasn't telling him everything that could help us because when he came back, he asked, "Was the magical guru the only thing you wanted to tell me?"

I stayed quiet for a minute, contemplating whether to tell him or not. I knew it wouldn't be of much use. How could two similar fortunes help us? So I said, "Yeah."

I heard Steve scowl beside me and I looked towards what he was glaring at. I saw his ex-girlfriend walking towards the garage and most likely us, since we were the only ones there.

"Should I go?" I asked after taking another gulp from my bottle of Coke. Damn, I wanted more and my tongue was content with the Coke, but I had been making it more accustomed to Pepsi.

"Hi, Steve. Hey, Ponyboy," she greeted each of us correctly.

"What do you want, Evie?" Steve snapped. She bit her lip, obviously hurt by the harshness in his voice.

"To wish you a happy third-year anniversary and…"she said. Steve looked at her.

"…that I still love you," she finished. I saw Steve's face soften a little at those words and I suddenly felt awkward.

"So, you gonna pretend that last night never happened," he grinned as he spoke.

"Well…the last part," she said. Then, she kissed him on his cheek.

"Hey, Evie, you don't know any fortune teller or psychic or magical spirit person, do you?" I interrupted. _Crap._ I had no clue why I chose that moment to ask. They both glared at me.

"No, Ponyboy, I'm sorry, but I don't," she replied over politely.

"If you want me to be seventeen again, I think you should go look for one then," Steve said. Evie opened her mouth, but then closed it again.

"I love you, too," he said. She smiled, gave him another peck on the cheek and walked off. Then, Steve gave me a whack on the side of my head.

"Ow!" I yelled and rubbed the side with care.

"Do something likes that again and I'll make sure you're really going to be whacked when we go back to normal," he threatened. I continued rubbing my head and started muttering curses to myself.

* * *

[A/N] Reviews? I'm not sure if I told ya'll, but I changed the fortune to something more complicated. So if you go back to chapter one...

**Special thanks to EternalBookworm823 for pointing out my mistake of typing physic instead of psychic(well, pretty much me confusing the two words.**


	12. Chapter 12

**~Steve~**

"Hey, Evie, you don't know any fortune teller or physic or magical spirit person, do you?" Pony said, interrupting Evie getting back together to me. I was glad I said 'I love you, too.' or I'd probably be single once again. The idea of not dating Evie was more of the problem than not dating at all.

The two kisses on my cheek were sadly not on _my_ cheek, but the feeling they gave were all the same anyways. You'd expect me to be in a good mood actually. I was sitting on Ponyboy and Soda's bed doing the kid's math homework. It was simply…easy. But my problem wasn't that. It was all the noise Ponyboy was making. He was searching around for something and there was papers, clothes, drawings, and what not lying around everywhere. He went from one drawer to the next. Shutting them forcefully and throwing things out frantically. Searching through all the pockets and pausing to think every now and then.

"Could you stop making so much fucking racket?" I yelled furiously. Ponyboy stood in the middle of the room- staring right at me. He seemed to come out of a daze and asked, "Is there anything in your pockets?"

"If I check, will you stop making so much noise?"

"Yeah," he panted. He was searching around the whole house a matter-of-factly for something since we came home. I put my hands in their designated pockets and found nothing. Pony sighed and seated himself on the edge of the bed. He seemed to suddenly remember something and ran out of the now cluttered bedroom.

I put my homework into my backpack and left the room also. I passed by the bathroom and saw Ponyboy making a mess of it, too. I reached the living room and greeted Sodapop lying lazily on the couch. I also noticed a few jackets and the contents of what was supposed to be mine but currently Ponyboy's backpack all over the floor. I didn't bother picking everything up and sat in front of the couch to lean my head against one of the armrests.

I heard Ponyboy's thumping feet running somewhere else to mess up and decided I had had enough.

**~Ponyboy~**

I stood in the middle of the room and focused my eyes to find myself staring at Steve. I knew he was yelling a moment before, but didn't know what he was hollering about. I panted heavily and asked him if there was anything in his pockets.

"If I check, will you stop making so much noise?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, not caring about whether I did make more noise or not. He put his hands in his pockets and found nothing. I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. I tried to recall the last night I was myself which wasn't difficult at all. I had searched everywhere, except the least obvious places. Every time I imagined the slip of paper somewhere, it wouldn't be there. I hadn't searched the bathroom even though it was the place I went to right after reading it…

I dashed out the bedroom and searched through the medicine cabinet of the bathroom and wherever else it could be. Soon after Steve passed by, I ran out of the bathroom and to the basement where the laundry machines were. I found the basket of washed and dried clothes only a few feet away from the washer and dryer. Remembering two days before when Steve threatened to leave without Sodapop to the Dingo, Soda had immediately dropped the basket and ran up above ground to join his friend.

"What the hell are you looking for, Ponyboy? You've made such a huge mess-you know what? You can clean up the whole damn house yourself and get all the hollering you want from Darry," Steve hollered from atop of the stairs and seeing me throwing all the shirts out of the basket, seemed to have decided that it was just hopeless trying.

Going through every pocket of every pair of pants, I finally found the right one.

"Aha!" I exclaimed and found the paper shrunken as well as the words obviously. Unless if you squinted hard enough…never mind. We probably had a magnifying glass somewhere, but that would mean searching the whole house _again_. I remembered Dad had had one, so I looked through the boxes in the basement that contained Mom and Dad's things. I found one of Dad's and searched through it carefully.

I had found a magnifying glass and played around with it for a few minutes. I was zooming it in and out from my hand until I realized I had found what I was looking for. I took out the shrunken slip of paper and placed the magnifying glass over it. Positioning it until I was able to read the words, I found out the paper said:

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

I took out the piece of paper I had found in Steve's pockets and as I had guessed, they both read the same exact thing.

I walked up the stairs and in the middle of hallway bumped into Steve.

"Read this," I said and showed him the small slip of paper. Steve grabbed it from my hand. He figured out how small the typing was and snatched the magnifying glass from my hands, too.

"This was the fortune…" he began saying but I shoved him the other slip of paper.

"So, they're alike," Steve said and handed the paper back.

"When did you first read that fortune?" I asked him.

"The night before…"he began saying but trailed off.

"And you read the fortune?" he questioned.

"The last night we were ourselves," I replied.

"You're thinkin' this has to do with what happened?" Steve inquired. I nodded my head.

"We got to figure out what the fortune means. Such big words…" he murmured the last words. We could've asked Darry but him not home yet, I wanted to show Sodapop my findings instead.

* * *

(A/N) Shall I make excuses? Well, I will anyways, exams, homework, Harry Potter, moving from one house to another etc. And when I was finally going to update, my flash drive malfunctioned and I lost everything. _Everything_. Pictures, videos, stories for fanfiction and not for fanfiction. So, that included the four or five chapters I typed after chapter eleven for this story. Finally, I have forced myself to just retype them and remember as much as I can. Encourage me more and review! Please? Criticism would help, too.


	13. Chapter 13

**~Steve~**

Whoa. They were exactly the same. That was just a coincidence though.

"When did you first read that fortune?" Ponyboy asked me.

"The night before…" I began saying and trailed off because I realized why this was huge. Because what if Ponyboy read the fortune the same night at the same time. And that was likely. So, I asked him when _he_ first read the fortune.

"The last night we were ourselves," he replied and even though I already knew why he showed the fortunes in the first place, I still asked, "You're thinkin' this has to do with what happened?"

Ponyboy nodded his head. I wished I could understand what the fortune meant because they were big words though I could understand some of it, there still was the rest of it. In a matter of seconds, Ponyboy left me standing alone in the hallway. He seemed to have gone to show Sodapop his findings.

"Boast? Best? Or was it toast? Damn, I have a headache now," Sodapop muttered while lying back on the couch and rubbing his temples. The brain my best friend has…

"Damn you for at least it being your _own _head achin'," I snapped.

"Aw, forget you Steve," he said and rolled over to his side. I chuckled a bit at his laziness which was odd for happy-go-lucky Soda but not so uncommon.

"Why don't you ask Darry?" he suggested.

"He ain't home, and I wouldn't blame him for wonderin' why we'd ask him about some dumb fortune," Pony replied.

"To him, it's a dumb fortune. I think you really found something though Pony," I said. Before he could say something about this, I continued on, "If only that supposed high IQ brain of yours would figure out what it meant."

"You're forgetting Steve; this ain't my _own_ brain that ain't able to figure it out," he retorted and I had to give the kid some credit.

"Well, here,"-I pointed at my (as in not mine) head-, "is your own brain and it ain't able to figure out."

Before Ponyboy could say something, Sodapop interrupted, "How 'bout you're both dipsticks and we all want to sleep?"

Pony and I turned our heads to Soda, giving him the '_we're _the idiots' look, but his eyes were closed and his brain for the moment shut down.

So, we sat there in silence until Darry walked in all tired looking. Probably not wanting to get on his bad side, Ponyboy only greeted him and went back into silence. I gave a nod of my head to acknowledge him and watched him walk into his bedroom and shut the door.

**~Ponyboy~**

After watching Darry shut the door to his bedroom, I sighed. After waiting a couple of minutes, he came out and I hollered, "Hey, Darry!"

"What?" he groaned.

"We need your oh-so genius brain," Steve yelled.

"Ugh!" Sodapop groaned and rolled over to his other side. Steve and I exchanged a chuckle. Then we stood up to head into the kitchen.

"My oh-so genius brain..." Darry said.

"…will be able to tell us what this means," I finished off. I handed him the bigger slip of paper.

"Well…detest means like ignore. Loathe is like hate. And my brain is like tired. Ask me later okay?" he said and stood up to go back to his bed room. Was everybody tired today?

"Soda…" Steve tried to nudge him awake. He pushed him until Sodapop tumbled to the floor and finally got up drowsily. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed Steve's foot to trip him over which he succeeded in doing.

"Ow!" Steve groaned and didn't even bother to stand up. I looked at the seventeen-year old sitting on the floor rubbing his eyes and yawning and the other one lying on his back on the floor in defeat. Disappointed in the people who should be my role-models, I read the fortune aloud:

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

"So, now if we use what Darry told us…it would be like you will discover the individual you…hate…doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be…hated. Anyone get what that means?" I asked.

Sodapop stopped rubbing his eyes and literally froze. Then finally stood up. Steve said, "Something about hating."

Sodapop shrugged as I looked at him and said, "Just get a long a lil' more will you two? It'll be easier for _all_ of us."

I opened my mouth, and then closed it. Get along and something about hating. That was great help. Then, I looked back at the piece of paper and realized what it meant.

"Who do I hate?" I asked myself out loud. Steve gave me a weird look and Soda raised his eyebrows. _Who_ do I hate?

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(A/N) Still very discouraged in losing all my files and loving Harry Potter…

Reviews, maybe? And thanks for those who reviewed before! 3 ya'll!


	14. Chapter 14

**~Steve~**

The dumb fortune was only something about hating. Shouldn't really mean anything, right? But there was that gut feeling, you know? Like the fortune was important.

"Who do I hate?" Ponyboy asked. I looked up at him confused. I thought about the fortune again. Not until then did it dawn on me what the fortune meant.

There's somebody out there that I hate and I ain't suppose to. Well, narrowing it down to…I got about all the Soc population and half the greaser one. I sighed and continued to lie back on the floor. I probably had no valid reason to hate the people I do, but the fortune said _individual_. One person…

Nah, I couldn't think of anybody. I glanced at Ponyboy who seemed to be thinking the same thing. He probably hated lots of people, too. But who did either of us actually _hate_?

I closed my eyes and emptied out my brain. I wanted it blank for a while. To forget that I'm not _me_. I was soon dreaming about Evie and me (as in _me _).

My amazing dream was interrupted though. Someone was nudging me and I was caught between dream world and reality. I woke up slowly to see my own face. It took me a moment to remember what had happened and when it hit me as it did so many times before; I groaned and slammed my head back on the floor. Which hurt…bad.

I ignored the pain throbbing in the back of my head and had a sudden impulse to chase Ponyboy around with a wrench in my hand waiting to strike him on the head. My eyes were shut in hope of falling asleep again into the lalaland where I wasn't a fourteen-year old kid.

"Think the kid's knocked out again. How 'bout we try a bucket of water this time, Steve?" I heard a familiar voice suggest which I soon recognized as Two-Bit's.

"I wouldn't mind," I heard Ponyboy chuckle. I heard footsteps walking into the kitchen and then rummaging through the cabinets.

I open my eyes as soon as I heard the footsteps return. I said, "I'm awake. You-"but it was too late. Ponyboy had splashed what I realized a glass instead of a bucket of water on my face. He was on the run right when he saw my outraged face dripping with ice cold water. I sprinted behind him yelling, "You aren't gonna get away with this, Ponyboy!"

I came into the hallway and pounced on Ponyboy before he could enter the bathroom to lock himself into. I had positioned both of his arms behind his back but his (as in _not_ his) legs were kicking and thrashing my back and eventually succeeded in pushing me off of him.

"Only a glass of water," he panted as he sat up and leaned his head against the wall. I was lying back on the floor yet again.

"Only interrupted me from a good dream," I retorted.

"Can I guess?"

"Go ahead."

"You were yourself again."

I had the impulse to chase him around with a wrench in my hand again.

**~Ponyboy~**

I really wouldn't mind dumping water on Steve though Two-Bit thought it was me. So, that's exactly why I did. Right when I saw Steve's spitting mad face, I ran. My destination was the bathroom, and I was so close until Steve tackled me down to the ground. My feet tried to kick…no, my feet succeeded in kicking Steve off of me and he was once again resting back on the floor.

"Only a glass of water," I panted.

"Only interrupted me from a good dream," he replied.

"Can I guess?"

"Go ahead," he allowed.

"You were yourself again," I said. Steve didn't reply-just look like he wanted to run around trying to attack me again. It must've been a real good dream. I had good dreams like those, too. I hated waking up because then you had to realize that it was just …a dream.

You realized that you may be stuck like this forever. I bet the dreams gave Steve as well as they did to me some hope. At the moment, my dream wasn't to be a track star or a writer…it was to be myself. _Me. _And I believed it could happen.

"Hey…whoa, what happened?" Two-Bit said while coming into the hallway.

"He pounced. I pushed. We're tired," I explained shortly.

"Well, better luck next time, kid. I mean if there should be a next time because I never thought I'd see the day when _Steve_ would run away from _you_, "Two-Bit replied. He plopped on the floor beside Steve and shoved him playfully.

"Tell me something's wrong with my hearing. I could've sworn that you yelled Ponyboy when you ran after Steve…Ponyboy," Two-Bit said. Before Steve could give an explanation, I said something.

"Something must be wrong with your hearing, Two-Bit. He yelled Steve, you dipstick. He's lucky to be alive if he called me Ponyboy," I said as hotheaded as I could.

"Got anything better to do than pour cold water on little kids?" Steve said genuinely hotheaded.

Two-Bit shrugged.

"We were having a little fun. But if you didn't need the cold water... smile on your face sure showed you were dreaming something nice though. I wonder…"Two-Bit teased, but Steve whacked him on the head before he could continue. He flushed a good shade of red just like I would've, so everything was clear.

"What time is it? Kathy going to be mad…looks real cute when she is though," Two-Bit asked.

"Get the hell outta here, will ya', Two-Bit? Less doom for us _and_ you," I said half-forcing him and half-joking around with him.

"Nah, you mean less happiness for you and more left for me," he said and stood up. Steve rolled his eyes and Two-Bit joked, "Aw, you know you love me."

Soon, the jokester of the gang left Steve and me alone yet again.

"I have those dreams, too," I said, disrupting the peace and quiet.

"They're nice," Steve said simply.

"Bein' you again," I whispered.

"You know, I'm tired of hearing Darry tellin' me to do better. I want to hear my _dad_ tellin' me to do better, and I hate when he does that," Steve admitted.

I gave an empty chuckle to what he said. Steve had closed his eyes again and was possibly attempting to fall asleep again.

"Dreaming isn't going to get us anywhere," I told him.

"I know," he said softly, not opening his eyes.

I knew that, too, but dreams gave hope. Hope gave us a chance. We needed a chance. A chance we could take to be ourselves again.

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(A/N) Reviews please!!! I'd like to know what you thought.


	15. Chapter 15

**~Evie~  
**

I had heard him right. Ponyboy had said he wasn't Steve….or Steve had said he wasn't Steve. Put it like this: the boy I was with at the restaurant wasn't Steve. He wasn't mine and I wasn't his, but the boy at the Curtis house was mine. How could my boyfriend turn from a seventeen-year old to a fourteen-year old all of a sudden?

Stopping in front of the pathway leading to the entrance to my house, I looked down at my worn-out sneakers. I remembered one of life's many lessons my dad told me.

"You stupid little brat! You're supposed to knock!" I had yelled at my brother after he had rudely interrupted an intense, secretive conversation I was having with Kathy in my room.

"You big mean witch! You're supposed to ask if I need anything," my thirteen-year old brother, Ricky, had yelled back at me. We ended up in a loud shouting match of insults which our dad had finally broken.

"Ricky, in the family room. Ask me when I come back for whatever you wanted," my dad had ordered. Ricky reluctantly obeyed his orders. After, Dad had turned to me.

"You came into the family room while I was watching a big game to ask me for money. I started yelling at you before you could even ask for what you wanted. All that came out of your mouth was 'Dad', and then I start hollering on about how you're such a horrible daughter," my dad had said and I was startled.

"How'd you feel?" he asked.

"Hurt," I remembering replying. How else would I feel? I can't even ask for anything and you just start yelling at me.

"If you had an older sister…you came into her room while she was talking to her friend for help with your homework. Before _anything_ comes out of your mouth, she begins hollering on about how you're the worst little sister a person could have, you're a brat…all that kind of stuff," he said.

I had nodded my head slowly.

"How'd you feel?" he had asked.

"Hurt," I repeated the same answer from before. He gave me a look urging me to go on.

"I'd feel like I've been judged too fast. Not given a chance to say something?"

"Next time, don't judge a person till you've been in there shoes…till you know how it's like to be where they are," he said.

"Now, I've got to give your brother a speech about invading somebody's privacy…" my dad had said tiredly. I had watched him walk away probably wishing my mom was awake to do this stuff. She however had taken to going to bed early that night.

Analyzing my dad's words, I remembered all the times Steve went on about how he hated the kid-Ponyboy I mean. There were times where he stopped for a moment and gave him some credit. However, Steve still disliked Ponyboy. No doubt Ponyboy didn't have some kind of loathing towards Steve.

It was then when I realized it was destiny, something like it. So, I wasn't going to tell Steve anything. He had to figure this out by himself, and some help from Ponyboy of course. They could fight and hate as much as they liked. It wasn't going to get them anywhere- just like with Ricky and me. But it was different with Ricky and me, we weren't the two switched. I guess we didn't need to be, our issues were easy to fix. On the other hand, Steve and Ponyboy had a very serious issue to resolve.

And they better solve it soon because I was missing being in my boyfriend's arms a whole lot.

**~Sodapop~**

"Boast? Best? Or was it toast? Damn, I have a headache now," I muttered while lying back on the couch and rubbing my temples. After hearing them argue about which one of their brains stupider, I said, ""How 'bout you're both dipsticks and we all want to sleep?"

Then, it was silent and I eventually fell asleep only to be slightly awakened when I heard Steve and Pony yelling for Darry. I groaned and rolled over to my other side to catch some more sleep. Eventually, I had tumbled down onto the floor suddenly. Then, I remembered Steve saying my name and realized I was _pushed _to the floor.

Through my stupor, I grabbed Ponyboy's foot to trip him over. Ugh…I meant Steve's (I still confused who was who at times) There he was lying on the floor in complete defeat. I was too sleepy to care. I continued to rub my eyes to remove some of my drowsiness.

Ponyboy read out loud from a piece of paper which I recognized to be the fortune he was showing me before my wonderful nap:

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

Discover…discover…well, Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492…

"So, now if we use what Darry told us…it would be like you will discover the individual you…hate…doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be…hated. Anyone get what that means?" I asked.

You will discover the person you hate doesn't have an incentive that…

That…… should make you hate him. I figured out what that meant…I figured out what it meant.

I froze and stopped rubbing my eyes. I could feel them widen. I knew what the fortune meant. I was out of my daze and it all made sense. I stood up and Steve said, "Something about hating."

Hell, yeah it is. It's about somebody you hate…somebody you _shouldn't _hate. It wasn't obvious to them though. Ponyboy was looking at me for a response. I just advised them to get along and not fight too much. Something told me that I couldn't say anything more.

* * *

[A/N] I call this a special chapter and it plainly is. I may do a Soda/Evie POV chapter again, but we're heading right back to Steve/Ponyboy POV. I only wanted to explore a little in the minds of the only other characters who know what's going with Steve and Ponyboy.

Tell me what you thought (simply just click the Review Chapter/Story button)!

Please! :'(


	16. Chapter 16

**~Steve~**

That little moment Ponyboy and I had had the other day, well, at this moment, it was completely forgotten. Ah, the fights the last piece of chocolate cake can cause.

"You ate two slices yesterday!" Ponyboy yelled. I shrugged.

"You keep forgetting how your stomach never gets full. It needs it, remember? And mine doesn't need anything at all, right?" I said casually.

"Oh, no, it needs a lot. How much have you starved the damn thing? It never stops growling!"

"Well, that's what you got to deal with! Paying the bills, dealing with my dad, with my homework and oh yeah, scraping out some money to get some food, too," I snapped.

"I'm only fourteen," he muttered.

"I was only twelve," I whispered. We stood there awkwardly for a few moments until I decided to leave. Sodapop however bumped into me at the kitchen entrance. He was clad in a pair of jeans and his hair was dripping wet.

"I was in the shower…I forgot about the last slice of cake. I'm gonna make another one," he said and squeezed past me into the kitchen.

While grabbing out all the ingredients, he said a bit furiously, "I told you two to get along. At least till its over."

Instead of thinking about what Sodapop said, I thought about what other fights Ponyboy and me had about food. Food. It was mainly about my appetite being small compared to his. I could eat five chicken drumsticks and still be hungry. As myself, I'd only be able to eat one. My stomach growled and I yearned for another slice of cake.

"Hurry up with that cake," I told Soda.

"So you can eat that one two, right?" Pony asked me.

"If it irritates you, yeah, I will."

He scowled at me and stood up to leave the kitchen. I continued to watch Soda stir everything in the bowl. Pour it into the pan...place it in the oven...set the timer...I've got a Biology test tomorrow...and Ponyboy was saying something about practicing for track. So, I suppose I run for like two hours a day or something, right? Damn, that's tiring. It seemed so tiring that I actually yawned, stretched and went to go take a nap until I found Ponyboy lying on my (actually his but you know, it's _mine_) bed.

"Get off," I ordered. He shook his head while his eyes stayed closed. His arms were sprawled across the bed so there wasn't any room for two anymore. I stood next to the bed, and nudged him.

"Get off," I repeated.

"Get your _own_ bed," he replied.

That was difficult to retort to when: "I have my own bed and you're sleeping on it!!!"

**~Ponyboy~**

It was my bed as in _my_ bed. I was tired as in _I_ was tired. I wanted to be myself again as in I wanted to be _myself_ again. At least let me sleep in my own bed.

"Go sleep on the couch...that's where you usually would sleep anyways," I said. He sighed and walked away.

_Usually_ I thought. _If_ things were usual, but may be they are now. It felt like years since that night I went to go to the movies with Sodapop and Steve. Those days we get along and then suddenly begin fighting again _were _now normal. Steve use to snap at me all the time anyways and I used to say a smart-ass comment back, and it wasn't much different. I think we were becoming accustomed to the bodies we were in or just plain annoyed with them.

Honestly, it wasn't all that bad being Steve....but see, I wasn't being _Steve_. Two-Bit had been commenting on my(as in his) 'strangebehavior'. If he knew it was me, Two-Bit wouldn't think it was strange at all. _If he knew..._

Nah.

A chocolately fragrance reached the bedroom and my stomach suddenly felt empty. Hmmm...chocolate cake. I jumped up before Steve could eat this one, too.

"Soda!!! Don't let Steve have ANY of that cake!" I hollered and rushed over to the kitchen. There it was- a too-sugary chocolate cake sitting on the kitchen table. Steve was one side of the kitchen and I was on the other. I ran to the cake and so did he until Sodapop came and splat his face into it.

"Nobody..."-he paused to watch the crumbs that spit out of mouth fall to the floor-"will get any chocolate cake till you two GET ALONG!"

Steve and I looked at each other, shrugged and grabbed for what was left of the cake anyways. Sodapop snatched it away before we could take anymore and headed to our bedroom to probably finish it himself.

"We'll make our own chocolate cake," Steve said and went to the fridge. I was considering buying one but it went against the Curtis law. So I went along with Steve and together we made our own chocolate cake that we'd make sure Sodapop would never get his hands was like a temporary pact until our next fight and we were getting along, so I think we deserved the first cake Soda slammed his face into as well.

* * *

(A/N) Review?

Even though I've been updating slowly.

I'll get right on the next chapter ASAP.

Hopefully, I can begin writing it today

and more.

:D


	17. Chapter 17

**~Steve~**

I sat in Ponyboy's History class quietly doodling away on the notebook where I was supposed to be taking notes. I had had Mrs. White as my History teacher also back in tenth grade. She hadn't changed in two years and her class was still pretty okay. Boring during lecture days, but tolerable during partner-up days. Looking through Ponyboy's notebook, I noticed he doodled more than took notes, too. So, we weren't_ completely _different. The bell rang and you could hear everybody jump up from their naps.

I had barely reached my (as in not mine) locker until Two-Bit placed his arms around my shoulders and began saying, "Morning, Pony. I think you'd love to help me play a nice prank on nice ol' Maxwell."

_I would love to help you prank out our principal, but I need to help Pony at the DX_, I thought.

"Darry's gonna skin me and _you_ when he finds out I got detention," I replied instead.

"Why you gonna tell him?" Two-Bit asked indicating that we would most likely earn detention for whatever he had planned.

"Two-Bit, I got track to practice for and..." I began saying but Two-Bit interrupted me, "So? What do you have next? Just ditch it and come on!"

He began dragging me away from my locker and I had a few textbooks that were weighing me down. If he'd just...

"Let me go to my locker first!" I yelled. Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, glanced at my backpack, and said, "Ohhh."

I shook my head and went to my locker. Two-Bit leaned against the one beside mine while I placed the unwanted books in the metal compartment and took the needed books. I slammed it after I was done and turned to look at Two-Bit. However, he was walking towards...Ponyboy.

"What're we going to do, Two-Bit?" he asked, grinning like an idiot.

"Nothing new," he answered and gestured us down another hallway where his own locker was. We watched him mutter his combination to himself while turning the lock left and right. Pony and I exchanged a look.

"Got it!" Two-Bit exclaimed when he finally succeeded in opening it. We looked inside to find maple syrup, chocolate cake, whipped cream, and a bottle of glue. My stomach growled.

"Uh...you couldn't have brought some pancakes, could've ya'?" I asked. He shrugged, grabbed the whipped cream and sprayed it in his mouth. Pony snatched it from him but I snatched it before the kid could do anything with it.

"Hmmm," I moaned after swallowing all the cream I had sprayed into my mouth. Two-Bit seized the maple syrup, and the bottle of glue. Then, he tossed Pony (ahem, I mean _Steve_), the cake. What we had to do in the principal's office was simple. Glue the cake to his desk. Pour the syrup on the bottom of his chair and a note saying 'DIPSTICK'. Then spray the whipped cream on the back of his chair. Principal Maxwell would want the cake, so would continue to try to lift the cake until it would slap into his face which would result in him being pushed back by the force into his chair. Ponyboy would stay behind to take a picture or two with a camera Two-Bit got from only God knows where. Assumingly, that's what happened because our principal came walking down the hallway with chocolate cake smeared across his face, whipped cream all over his back and syrup and the 'DIPSTICK' note on his ass. The sight in Two-Bit's words was 'beautiful'. For me, it was fucking hilarious.

**~Ponyboy~**

I grabbed a sticky note, wrote DIPSTICK on it, and placed it cautiously backwards on the seat. Steve was finished gluing the bottom of the plate the cake was on and nodded his head. Two-Bit was keeping watch from the door's small window all the while spraying whipped cream into his mouth. I was going to stay behind with a camera to capture this moment. How Two-Bit got a hold of one, well, I'll leave it to God to know.

Two-Bit and Steve had left me to figure out where to hide. Attempting to move behind one of the filing boxes, I heard footsteps coming. I decided to take the worst hiding place in the whole room (besides the principal's chair)- one of the chairs in front of the desk. Principal Maxwell soon walked in and looked very shocked to see me. I was expecting a warm smile or a nice 'you need anything, son?'. Instead he sighed and I got this: "Randle. Well, on with it, tell me what you did and I'll give you how ever many detentions I think you deserve."

"I ain't here for anything," I said and blocked out all my emotions from my face and voice.

"Why are you here then?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Bored," I replied.

"You should be in class," he said.

"Where I'm also bored."

"I do not care about whether my teachers aren't entertaining you enough or letting all of you party all the time. I need you in class, Randle," he ordered.

He was now standing in front of his desk and trying to lift off the cake from the desk. It wouldn't budge. Job well done Steve. He continued to try to lift it up until he did. As expected, he used too much force causing the cake to be lifted off the desk too high and right into...his face. The force of THAT would push him...into the chair. I would -snap- take the picture of him. Then, dash out of the room yelling, "Hope you like the cake!"

I met Steve (I meant _Ponyboy_) with Two-Bit at his locker. As I was panting to catch my breath, the bell rang. Students came bustling out of their classroom and Principal Maxwell came rushing down the hallway. I snapped another picture. Then I took another one of him slamming into a wall -missing the men's bathroom door- because the cake was blocking the view of things through his glasses.

"Two-Bit, I couldn't hide. I'll tell ya' later 'bout what happened. First, I gotta get outta here," I told him. Then, I ran to the back of the school.

"Hey, Stevie, we're coming with you," he said. We jumped into Two-Bit's car, and I took the driver's seat. Two-Bit was in shot-gun and Steve (Pony...Steve) had slipped into the back. Speeding out of the school parking lot, I felt a nice rush of power inside of me. I'd driven Steve's car a bunch of times since what had happened and this was the second time driving Two-Bit's. Cars weren't me though. It didn't feel like me. For a moment, as I was getting out of the car in front of Steve's house, I could've almost sworn I had been sitting in the back seat instead of the driver's seat the whole time. In a way I was, but that was Steve in my body. Something had happened and I think it was me in my body again. For just a moment.

* * *

(A/N) I think I'm going for a few more chapters. I'm planning to update the next chapter in a couple of days. No promises however.

Review please.

See ya'


	18. Chapter 18

**~Steve~**

Whoa...was I just driving the car? Nah, it wasn't possible. Ponyboy was driving and I had slipped into the backseat of Two-Bit's car. I remembered that, but why was there an image of my hands (as in _mine_) clamped on the steering wheel and my foot (yes, _my _foot) pressed lightly against the pedal in my (as in _not_ mine) mind? This wasn't possible...de _ja vu_. I remembered those words. Same ones said when Ponyboy and I had found out that our bodies, souls or something were switched. So I was him, and he was me. But for a moment, I think we were back to normal. Fine, I was getting used to being the kid, but I wasn't going to wait three years to get my drivers' license _again_. That was what I kept telling myself and it kept me going.

I followed behind Two-Bit and Ponyboy pushing each other around and heading inside the house. As I stepped inside the kitchen, I realized this was the first time since that last night I had been in my actual house. I never thought I'd really miss it. At the moment, I kind of did. It was my house....full of my memories...my life...it was _mine_.

"It's real beautiful, ain't it, Pony?" Two-Bit said and whacked me on the side of my head. I had been gawking at my own house.

"It's okay," I said as Ponyboyly as I could -shrugging for effect. I leaned against the counter and Pony handed me a bottle of Pepsi and leaned against it, too. It was quiet for a few moments until Two-Bit turned on the television in the other room.

"I want to see what you did with my room," I said and looked at Pony from the corner of my eye.

"Go ahead," he said casually. I went up by myself and found the door open. Walking inside slowly, I saw it hadn't changed much. Magazines and clothes sprawled around the floor, the bed made (nothing new for me), but a book was on my bed. As I came closer and closer to the bed, I realized it was a bunch of papers. Well, there were enough papers to make a book. I picked them up and read the top of the first page: **The Outsiders by Ponyboy M. Curtis Grade 10.**

I looked back at the door to see if anyone was watching and then flipped through the pages. I saw the words rumble, Dallas, Johnny, fire, fuzz, and reading the first page; I read the description of how I looked at the current moment. I wasn't interested in reading all of whatever Pony wrote, but made a mental note to ask about it someday.

I had to scratch that mental note out of my mental 'someday I'll do it' list right after I put it there. Ponyboy was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, you wrote a book?" I asked and lifted the stack of papers in my hands higher to show him what I was talking about

"Sort of," he replied quietly.

"Sort of? Any bunch of papers that looks like there's over a hundred bunch of papers looks like a book to me," I said and tossed the 'book' back on the bed.

"It was a theme for Mr. Syme," he informed. The tenth grade English teacher and currently _my_ English teacher.

"And it had to be over a hundred pages?" I questioned.

"Actually, not less than five pages."

I stared at myself. What the hell did the kid write about? It could've been his first trip to the zoo, but...

Dallas, fire, fuzz...

He wrote about what had happened. About Dally and Johnny. He had written about the gang.

"The Outsiders?" I inquired. He shrugged sheepishly. Boy, shyness did not look good on me.

**~Ponyboy~**

"Go ahead," I allowed. Steve went on up the stairs to his room to see what I had done to it. There wasn't much I could do it- just throw more things on the floor. Gulping up the rest of the Pepsi, I slammed the bottle on the counter and walked into the living room where Two-Bit was watching Mickey Mouse. I had no idea how the boy knew what time and channel it came on. He had the remote in one hand and a can of beer in the other.

"Would Steve's old man notice you takin' one of his beers?" I asked.

"Huh?" Two-Bit turned to look at me with his mouth gawking at my face.

"Nothing," I said after realizing what I had said. It'd been weeks, but I still woke up thinking I was _me_. I decided to go upstairs to see what Steve thought of his room. I had reached the doorway to find Steve looking at my theme for Mr. Syme. The one I had written about the gang, and Dally and Johnny and the Socs and the greasers.

"Hey, you wrote a book?" he asked and lifted the stack of papers in his hands higher to show me what he was talking about. Completely unnecassary.

"Sort of," I replied quietly.

"Sort of? Any bunch of papers that looks like there's over a hundred bunch of papers looks like a book to me," he said and tossed my theme back on the bed.

"It was a theme for Mr. Syme,"I informed him. _His_ current English teacher.

"And it had to be over a hundred pages?" he questioned.

"Actually, not less than five pages."

With that piece of info, he began staring at me. Questioning me with his eyes: why'd you have to write over a hundred pages then? Soon, something kind of hit him. He looked back at the papers he had thrown back on the bed and back at me. He must've figured out _what _I had written about. I didn't think you needed to ask why I wrote about what I did. Being a greaser and all, he might've just understood.

"The Outsiders?" he questioned the title. I shrugged shyly. There was: The Gang, or Us, The Greasers, or My Side of the Story, or The East Side of Town. _The Outsiders_ ended up as the title in the end though. Steve nodded his head, sat on the bed, grabbed the papers, and began reading. I wanted to snatch those papers back because of what I said about him, but I decided against it. It wasn't like I still hated him. He was actually pretty okay.

* * *

(A/N) I just kind of believe that Steve would be one of the first people to read Ponyboy's theme. Excuse my slow updates…and please review.

See ya'


	19. Chapter 19

**~Steve~**

When I had realized that the theme/book Ponyboy wrote was about what happened to Dally and Johnny and the gang, it did cross my mind that he may've wrote something about me. I didn't think his words would end up being harsh. He _hated _me._ Well, I hate you, too_, I immediately thought.

Then, I actually thought about it. I couldn't blame the kid. I treated him like a kid...and called him one. Hated him back...fought with him but wasn't that before? We'd now seen both sides of our lives. Ponyboy had even been yelled and kicked out of the house by my dad sometime back. We could get each other now...and when you're at that point in a relationship with somebody (now, I think, a friendship?), how could you hate the person?

But it was written right there, _'…but sometimes I can't stand Steve Randle. I mean it. Sometimes I hate him.'_ I couldn't blame him. And he said a few good things about me too...I had to give him that much. I was about to put it down, but something stopped me. It was my conscious telling me I needed to read the rest. As a result of following my heart, I turned the page and continued reading.

And it wasn't that bad. It was interesting to see Ponyboy's point of view of what happened. The ending was tuff...the same words as the beginning. I woke up the next day, after reading all day straight the day before, feeling good. Lightning stroke the sky outside and Sodapop turned to his other side beside me. I slowly crawled out of the bed and went to the bathroom. Coming out refreshed, I ate some cereal and saw Ponyboy's theme lying on the table where I had placed it the day before. I left it there and roamed around the house idly for a few hours until the rain went from heavy to light.

With the rain drizzling lightly outside, I put on a simple jacket of Ponyboy's and tucked his theme inside. I jumped off the steps of the porch and flipped the hood on to prevent the grease in my hair from dissolving. Suddenly, I wasn't in the rain anymore. I was sitting on the couch at my house (as in _my_ house) looking outside from the window in the living room. Then, I was back walking in the drizzle again. I stopped for a minute, but when nothing happened, I continued walking. I continued until I reached the house I was in only a couple minutes before. Ponyboy must've seen me coming from the window because he was waiting at the door for me.

That thought stayed apparent in my mind. The idea Ponyboy might've been in the rain when I was at the window appeared unlikely to me. I slowly took out his theme from the insides of the jacket I was wearing and handed it to him.

"I liked it," I said and turned away from his unemotional face. My dad was lying back on one of the two couches reading the newspaper. He didn't acknowledge me. Ponyboy jerked his head sideways, indicating we should go upstairs. I trudged behind him on stairs and he sat on the bed when we reached his (well, mine) bedroom. I sat down by the bed and leaned my head against it. Pony then decided to lie back on it. Crossing his arms behind his head, he asked, "Do you have anything else to say about the theme?"

"You didn't like Dally?" I questioned. I knew Ponyboy was asking for my other thoughts. What I thought about what he said about me. I decided to ask about it later

"I respect him, but he was..."

"Too 'bad' for you," I suggested jokily.

"Just too bad," he countered. I nodded my head and changed my decision. I went straight to what he wanted me to ask about.

"And you don't like me because?" I asked.

"You don't like me," he answered.

"_We_ don't like each other," I corrected.

"We _didn't_ like each other," Pony simplified.

**~Ponyboy~**

Steve liked my theme. I wanted to know what he actually thought of it though. His thoughts about himself...what I wrote about him. Unfortunately, he asked about what I wrote about Dallas. I was glad he went directly to what I wanted to hear precisely after that.

"And you don't like me because?" Steve asked.

"You don't like me," I answered.

"_We_ don't like each other," he said. Well, we didn't. We _didn't_ like each other, I thought. That was _then_, so what was now?

"We _didn't_ like each other," I replied and I believed it was the truth. We formed somewhat of a friendship throughout this 'incident'.

I empathized with him. His bitterness...I got it before, too. Experiencing it yourself is a whole different way of understanding though.

_ I came to the kitchen to only drink some water. Steve's dad was standing beside the counter sorting out the bills. I was walking out until he called me, "Steve! I need the money for the bills!"_

_ I turned around and walked back into the small kitchen._

_ "Why can't you pay them yourself?" I asked. It wasn't the right thing to say. I knew that, but I was curious. What did Steve have to __truly__ deal with._

_ "Why can't you give me some money?" he retorted._

_ "You're the dad, you're supposed to pay...not spend all the money on cigarettes and beer," I accused._

_ "I don't spend it all on cigarettes and beer," he said. For the next few moments, we glared at each other. Then, he hollered," Get out! If you ain't payin' anything for this house, you ain't staying here!"_

_ I didn't argue. I didn't talk back. I left. I'd seen him drink himself to sleep. I'd seen him be nice to me. Despite that fact, I was tired of paying for everything. Secretly, I was missing my life and hating Steve's shitty life even if it wasn't so awful. _

So, Steve and I understood each other now. He stood up and faced me. I sat up on the bed. He raised his hands up in a high-five.

"We're friends now?" he asked. I slapped my hand into his and our fists lowered together. I nodded my head and felt like I was standing not sitting. It had happened again. When I saw an odd look on Steve's face, I knew it wasn't just me.

* * *

(A/N) Yes, I've been updating slowly. Reasons? Excuses? One, I'm a lazy butt. Two, I would sit here and try to think about how I should write this chapter out. It was very difficult, but I finally got it.


	20. Chapter 20

**~Steve~**

Ponyboy and I were officially best friend for life!!! I'm joking, but we were friends. Friends who had been having weird similar things happening to us lately.

"So, _you_ were watching outside from the window...and..."

"Then, I was the one standing in the rain," Ponyboy finished. I nodded my head slowly and thought about it.

"We're probably gonna wake up as ourselves tomorrow," he concluded.

"This 'incident' had been going on for weeks till these 'switches' happened and they only last for a couple of seconds. I think it's going to take a few more weeks," I disagreed.

"Thanks for being positive," Ponyboy said sarcastically.

"I was being smart," I said defensively.

"Now, you're being stuck-up."

"You're one the one acting like a spoiled kid...wait, you _are_ one."

"Comparing this lifestyle to my old one, it would seem like that," he said.

"It _is_ like that," I replied.

"The older, the wiser, right? You can go now, ya' know," he said bitterly. I didn't want to stay, so I took his offer and went 'home'. Well, we _were _friends. As I walked to the Curtis house in the gloomy weather, I replayed the conversation I had had recently with Ponyboy. He had said, "Comparing this lifestyle to my old one, it would seem like that."

I reckoned he was right. It _would _seem like that and it , as I compared the life I'm was in now, and the one I was in before, I realized Pony's life was hard, too. Not _as_ hard. My feelings of hatred towards him may've changed, but my feelings of, I suppose I'll admit it, jealousy had only increased. He had two brothers who cared about him, lots of good friends, no beer to contaminate anybody in the house, and Two-Bit and me. My best possessions were what were left of the gang, my car, and my mom. I wasn't surprised Ponyboy was wishing he was going to wake up tomorrow as himself again.

**~Ponyboy~**

Again. We were getting along so well, and then, BAM, it's over. Again. I had gone to bed with no hope of waking up as myself due to Steve's words and I didn't wake up as myself. I drove to work sullenly. Steve was already in the garage- playing around with a wrench. He immediately put it away when he heard me walk in. He was probably expecting standing at the counter or working on a car all day. Not today, buddy.

"We've gotta deliver this Corvette to some Soc," I said and opened the door to the car sitting in the garage. While I was putting the key into the ignition, Steve hopped in, too.

"I ain't getting paid for this, you know," he said.

"You know you are. I'm the one not getting paid," I said. Steve didn't reply to this and I had another sullen drive.

We passed by all the houses on the East side, the middle-class ones, and then, the houses began increasing in size. Steve and I were on the West side of town and I didn't know about Steve, but I felt out of place. I looked up at the house number of a two-floor castle-like house with a landscaped front yard and down at the piece of paper with the address for Debbie Collins. They were the same, so Steve and I stepped out of the car. It was big inside the house. Not too decorative or anything which was nice. It made the place seem bigger.

A girl about ten or eleven years old had opened the door and led us into the kitchen where a girl Steve's age(or mine if you get what I mean) was yelling at her dad. And the dad wasn't angry, the girl was. The dad was hurt and I felt sorry for him not for the daughter who wasn't privileged to go out with her friends that night.

After the argument had come to silence, I cleared my throat. They all turned to look at Steve and me.

"Is Debbie Collins here? We have her car in the front," I said politely.

"Keys?" the older girl questioned. I held them in the air. She snatched them and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'll be up in my room! Pay them, Dad!" she hollered from the hallway. Her father sighed and asked how much. Steve told him the price. He grabbed out his wallet and paid in cash.

"Uh...Pony, are we gonna walk back to the DX or something?" Steve whispered while I counted the money. I finished counting, stashed the cash in my jacket, and shrugged. I reckon Steve was thinking 'We have no ride home and you just _shrug_'. I had a strange feeling that _was_ what he was thinking.

"You boys need a ride?" the dad asked.

"Sort of," I replied.

"Sort of? You two drove here with my daughter's car only right? Unless you planned for someone to come drive here to pick you up, you guys need a ride," he said sternly.

"Can we have one?" Steve asked eagerly.

"Follow me," he said and we did as told. I was thinking _anything to get back home _becauseI felt uncomfortable in such a big house. I told Mr. Collins the directions to the DX and on the way, he talked about his daughter and how frustrating it was to watch her slip away from her family. After he dropped us off, I pitied him even more than before.

"Thanks!" I yelled after him.

"I hate Socs...even if Mr. Collins was okay...his daughter was a complete unappreciative bitch," Steve said angrily after the car drove off.

That was when I realized that the qualities Steve had weren't as bad as the ones Debbie had.

* * *

(A/N) Yeah! I updated another chapter. I'm proud of myself :D

Anyways, there's a point to this little Soc visit ;)

Just not explained yet.

**Special thanks to DarryHasAFutureAndI'mInIt for telling me that I've been switching between present/past tense for this chapter. I'll be checking out the past chapters for more of that and for future chapters, I'll try to be careful.**


	21. Chapter 21

**~Steve~**

"Uh...Pony, are we going to walk back to the DX or something?" I whispered to Ponyboy as he counted the money Mr. Collins had gave him for his bi-I mean-daughter's car. He put the cash in his jacket and shrugged. We have no ride home, and you _shrug_. Does this boy have any feeling? You wake up in somebody else's body other than your own, and you're eating a slice of bread because you're hungry. You're twenty miles away from home, and you_ shrug_. Problems. This kid has problems.

I was very grateful when Mr. Collins gave us a ride. Unfortunately, that ride came with a whole therapy session for the man. Well, not actually. He was the one talking, and we were the ones nodding our heads, but we weren't exactly helping him. All I wanted to say is: 'Your daughter's a complete selfish bitch who doesn't get how grateful she should be.'

"Thanks!" Pony yelled as Mr. Collins' car drove away after he dropped us off at the DX.

"I hate Socs...even if Mr. Collins was okay...his daughter was a complete unappreciative bitch," I said angrily and stalked off inside. I heard Ponyboy yell behind me, "I'll be in the garage!"

Sodapop was checking out...well, how do I say this without somebody getting the wrong idea? Sodpapop was selling a real hot broad a bottle of Coke at the counter. Too bad I already had myself a girlfriend...and with my age, this broad was way out of my league. Sodapop was being as nice as he could. He wasn't ready to move on from Sandy just yet. By the time I reached the counter, the girl was already walking off with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Please don't say antyhing," Soda pleaded and I smirked as I hopped up to sit on the counter.

"Well, she was pretty hot..."

"Steve, you do know that you're saying that with Ponyboy's voice and his face...so it's kinda..."

"Strange for the boy?" I guessed.

"Yeah," Sodapop replied. I shrugged.

"Oh, Soda, Pony and I recently met a complete Soc bitch," I said and explained everything that happened during our Soc visit. I kept thinking of Ponyboy every time I thought of how unappreciative that Debbie girl was. I realized it was because I had called him a spoiled kid. He wasn't like her however. I remembered reading the last few chapters of Ponyboy's theme. In the end, he had become more open-minded, more grateful. He knew he was better off than others. That he had a family who loved andcared for him. Eek, I was becoming all emotional. Forget that, Ponyboy was better than some Soc and I was forgetting why I ever hated him in the first place.

**~Ponyboy~**

Steve had reasons to hate his dad, yell at him, and maybe even run away from him. Debbie, she has the world compared to him, and she probably hates her dad, yells at him, and maybe wants to run away. Why? Because for once, she can't get what she wants. And _I'm _the spoiled kid. (Note the sarcasm)

I was the last one to leave the DX, so I locked the whole place up and drove home. This time it was a slightly less sullen drive. At Steve's house (I drove 'home', remember?), I got bored. So, I organized his closet, picked up everything from the floor, studied for the Algebra, and Chemistry test the next day, and found that fortune again.

_You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested._

_So, it meant that I'll find that some person that I hate doesn't have anything that should make him be hated. Humph_. I thought. I didn't hate anybody. I had disliked Steve, but those feelings were put aside after living his life. It was difficult not being bitter when your life's like his. However, if your life includes a father who loves you and shows it, a younger sister who isn't all that bad, a mother working and taking care of the family, and whole lotta money, why are you complaining?

I don't want to hear excuses. No, nope, keep that mouth shut. I ain't done talking. So what if 'things are rough all over'? If you can't wear that dress because your momma thinks it's too tight, just change it. If you can't go out tonight, go out tomorrow night. WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?

I'm yelling in my head at somebody I'll probably never see again, but I want to know why Debby Collins is so blind that she can't see what she has. Oh, and it'd be so funny if I actually get to know her someday and understand her. And it'd be hilarious if I switch bodies with her next just to understand her point of view. If that's what happened with Steve, I bet this switcharoo thing can work on any two people who hate each others guts and they don't realize that the one specific person they hate shouldn't be hated. Ha. That reminded me of the fortune. I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand.

Then, I ran out of the room, dashed down the stairs, slammed open the door, heard Steve's dad yell something and his mom telling me to come back, and kept running to _my_ house.

He was wrong. Steve was wrong. It took only one week for us to finally get back to normal. To finally be ourselves again, if you know what I mean.

* * *

(A/N) That ain' t the ending you guys. I have two or three chapters more planned out.

Tell me your thoughts in a review please :)


	22. Chapter 22

*Don't worry...you'll find out what Ponyboy 'discovered'.*

* * *

**~Evie~**

This seventeen-year old was peacefully studying for her Geography test the next day until a certain thirteen-year old boy interrupted her by knocking on her door. I sighed, got off the bed, and opened the door. I began to yell, "What do..." but stopped right there. Ricky had the phone in his hand. So, I was daydreaming instead of studying thus unconsciously ignoring the phone ringing.

"It's for you," he said. I took it from his hands slowly and he walked off.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Hey, Eve, you busy?" a voice I knew was Kathy's responded on the other end. I looked back at my Geography book lying on my bed.

"No, I ain't."

What's the point of me telling you this? I didn't stop yelling at my younger brother because he had the phone in his hand. I stopped because I remembered what was going on with Steve and Ponyboy. Because of one of the many life lessons my dad taught me. That you had to give a person a chance before you took action. You couldn't judge them until you stepped into their shoes unless they really were down right horrible. My words, not my dad's.

I ended up completely forgetting about the Geography test and instead went to the bowling alley where Kathy, Two-Bit, Steve, Pony, Sodapop, and a couple of other people from school were supposed to be hanging out. It was okay. I was a little hesitant however with sitting with Ponyboy or the boy who looked my boyfriend but actually was Ponyboy. I'd been seeing them every now and then but it was awkward being with someone who everybody thinks is your boyfriend but actually isn't. That's why Ponyboy, Steve, and I hung out all night. It was easier with both of them. They were getting along good, so I was happy.

Two weeks later, it was supposed to only be another day where I went on with life without my sweet sexy boyfriend. That's why I had shoved the guy who looked liked Steve, but who I knew was actually Ponyboy when he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Hands off, boy," I ordered. He just grinned and began kissing down my neck.

"Pony," I whispered harshly. Then, I dashed my head side to side to see if anyone heard me. I turned around to my locker yet again. I was trying to remember why I had come to there in the first place.

"Evie, babe..." Pony said. I turned around real fast and was about to lecture him about hitting on his brother's best friend's girlfriend until I saw his smirk. I had seen Pony a few times after I had found out about him and Steve's switch, and he _never _smirked. Ponyboy only grinned. Steve, my Steve Randle, smirked.

"What?" I asked.

"I missed you a whole lot. Can you at least give me something? I just got back, and you're giving me this harsh..." he stopped talking because it _was _my Steve and I had jumped into his arms. Oh God, I hadn't realized how much I really missed him. We stood like that for a long time. My head cuddled on his chest, his arms around me while mine around his neck, and his face buried into mine. Then, Two-Bit came.

I know you know the rest.

**~Sodapop~**

They were laughing and I was satisfied. I leaned my chair back with my feet set on the table and my arms crossed behind my head. Evie, Steve, and Ponyboy were all laughing at some joke and having fun. Most importantly, they were getting along. That's how it went all night at the bowling alley and for a few days.

_After _a few days, Steve came in the house with a scowl on his face. Muttering something about wishing there was some whiskey in this house, he sat on the arm rest of the couch beside me.

"I reckon you and Ponyboy weren't getting along," I said.

"Oh, trust me, we were until the spoiled kid got mad at me because I was being reasonable," Steve replied harshly.

"He's just a kid, Steve," I said. Steve scowled.

"Want to watch Mickey Mouse? It's Sunday and might be coming on. I think Two-Bit maybe comin' over, too," I suggested.

"You break the ice real good, Soda," he said and snatched the remote from hand to flip the channels until we found Mickey Mouse.

The next day Ponyboy had to take a Corvette to some Soc. Well, according to Steve, they had to take a Corvette to a complete unappreciative bitch whose father really cared about her. The story only gave me another reason to hate Socs.

ANYWAYS, the same day that night Ponyboy barged into the house panting like anything. He was standing in the kitchen doorway while I had a fork wrapped with spaghetti half-way in my mouth and Steve was rolling some around his own fork.

"The fortune, remember the fortune. I figured it out. I know what it means!" he said in joy.

"The one about toast?" I asked.

"The one that gave you a headache," Steve said. I shrugged and went back to my spaghetti, but I knew exactly which fortune they were talking about.

"You will discover the individual you loathe doesn't have an incentive that should make him to be detested, right?" Ponyboy read.

"Uh-huh," Steve replied.

"Well, it means that you'll find out that the person who you hate doesn't have anything you should hate him about," Pony explained.

"It's what's been happening to us. We hated each other but this whole thing has made us like each other," he went on.

"So, we get along and we'll be normal again?" Steve questioned. I stayed quiet. They needed to figure it out on their own and now that they had, I believed it all would fall into place.

And it did. After a week of being all buddy-buddy, I woke up beside my younger brother Ponyboy without even knowing it.

"Hey, Steve, buddy," I said and nudged the body lying next to me.

"Get up, Steve, it is seven A.M. and Monday morning," I said.

"Stop calling me Steve, Sodapop. You know I'm Ponyboy unless...," Ponyboy said and then sat up suddenly.

He sighed and said, "I thought Darry or somebody was here."

I looked at him like he grew a second head. Ponyboy stepped out of our bed and began walking to the bathroom. I went to the kitchen , filled a glass of cold icy water, and knocked on the door of the bathroom.

"What do you want-" he began saying, but I spilled the cold icy water on his head before he could finish.

"You're Ponyboy," I said.

"Yes, I am..."-he seemed to realize something- "I'm Ponyboy. I'm fourteen. I'm back. I'm back!"

He was yelling and hollering like crazy. I was yelling and hollering along with him. Sometime later Steve had come and we were all yelling and hollering together.

* * *

(A/N) One chapter left. Remember, reviews keep me going.


	23. Chapter 23

**~Steve~**

Wow, I felt like complete shit because well, my dad was yelling at me. Yelling at ME because I was a lazy bum (I wished he could see himself). Bum. Funny word. Off topic. Anyway, it was nothing unusual but I, Steven Randle, was being yelled at by my father who was yelling at ME at _my_ seventeen year old face. Oh God, I hadn't missed him at all. My mother however was someone nice and beautiful I liked seeing walking into the kitchen while Dad hollered at me. He immediately stopped when she arrived with a 'what the heck are you yelling at my son for _this_ time?' face.

"He's being lazy. His grades have dropped. He isn't bringing in as much money as he used to and...," he began explaining until I interrupted.

"And I'm gonna take care of all that slack. I went off track for a few...months," I said and grabbed my car keys off the counter because, _yes_, I was seventeen and could drive.

"Hey, Steve!" Dad called after me.

"Bye, Steve!" Momma yelled and I knew she probably had murmured, "Oh please Steve, don't leave me here alone."

This was _my _life. My father was Dad. My mother was Momma. This was my car. Okay, I'll stop being possessive and go through what Ponyboy had left for me to pick up. My salary had decreased because being a mechanic wasn't Ponyboy's talent. My grades had lowered because Pony may've had a high IQ but it was a high IQ for a fourteen year old after all not for a seventeen-year old. Also, I fought with Dad only once for the past few months because Pony was one to keep his mouth shut. I reckon there were rumors about my girlfriend, Evie, and me. We hadn't been close because Evie was too stubborn to date a guy who looked like me, but actually was fourteen-years old. However, we were wrapped around each other's fingers once again.

"Hey, Pone," I saluted my, yes, buddy. He was talking about God knows what with Curly Shepard whom was released from the reformatory for a month now. They were positioned by the entrance of Will Rogers High School.

"Hi, Steve," he replied curtly and went back to discussing with Curly. I stood by Pony who was standing in front of Curly casually leaning against the school wall. I was looking for my History class buddy, but caught bits of the conversation about the drag race coming up. Curly spotted some of his hoodlum friends who were goofing off by the parking lot and bid a farewell to Pony. We acknowledged each other with nods of our heads.

"You know Danny from History?" I inquired.

"The guy trying to get me to talk in History? 'Course," Pony said.

"Did you ever talk to him? He's kind of my salvation from...well, dying of boredom in that class," I said hostilely.

"Yeah, you told me. Ya'll are still buddies."

"How long do you think _we're_ gonna stay buddies?" I asked after I saw Danny's Ford parked in the parking lot and the big guy himself walking our way.

"I think we've got to promise food will never come between us again," Ponyboy said and a grin grew on his face. I laughed.

"I ain't giving you any promises, kid."

Food would always be an obstacle in this relationship. At least it wasn't girls. Oh God, thank Him it wasn't girls!

"So, we've got best friend of Soda and little brother of Soda friends now, huh?" Danny approved as he stood before us. Pony and I exchanged a glance. Then, as if we'd done it a bunch of times, we slapped our hands together in a fist, lowered them together, and released exactly like we had after discussing Ponyboy's theme.

"Yeah, we are, but right now, Danny, you and me have History to conquer," I said.

**~Ponyboy~**

I'll tell you the things that Steve had done for me while he was in my body and I was in his:

1. Raised my school grades.

2. Earned me more friends.

3. Cleaned my room.

4. Thrown away my smoking habit.

5. Attended my detention

Life was good for me. It was my third day back in my body and I walked in the hallways with at least five more people than usual greeting me. They were mainly greasers, but a middle-class here and there was present, too. I sat in class waiting for test and quiz grades passed back and having high As, if not A-pluses, being thrown on my desk. I walked in my room with no shirt lying on the floor...for sometime at least. I went to practice for track with my coach happy that I wasn't smoking anymore. Of course, Steve attending my detention was the same detention I attended for him back when we helped Two-Bit play a prank on the principal. Unfortunately, we eventually were caught and dragged to the dreadful room. We weren't specifically _dragged, _but the feeling was close enough.

At the moment, I didn't care about whether Steve had attended more detentions for me other the one I also did. Rather, I was concerned about the Math test I had recently discovered was next period.

"Steve! Hey, Steve!" I yelled. He swiveled around from the turn he was nearly about to take to the next hallway.

"You need something?" he asked.

"Help on my Math test next period."

"Smart kid didn't study?"

"Smart kid didn't know."

Steve opened his mouth slightly in awareness.

"Sorry...I forgot, or reckon wasn't paying attention. Look for Two-Bit. He'll give you an extra day or two to study," Steve ordered.

"It's sixth period. I'm gonna miss more than Math," I countered.

"Look for Two-Bit," he said more sternly. I sighed and walked around looking for a six-foot, stocky in build boy with rusty side-burns. I found him a few minutes after the bell rang. He was checking his inventory of prank supplies in his locker. I told him what my issue was while he counted how many excuse forms he had. When I finished talking, he handed me one. Then, he seized a pen from his locker and held it out for me. I took it and looked at the excuse form.

**Please excuse _________________________ from class because...**

And there were a few reasons listed with boxes printed beside each one. I marked the one that read: **he/she is not feeling well and will be going home**. I wrote my name in the desired blank but looked at the paper dumbstruck when I saw the **'signature of school authority excusing student from class'**.

"I'll take care of that," Two-Bit said and took the paper and pen from my hands. He stood in thought for a moment until he scribbled something hurriedly on the paper.

"Wait outside by my car and I'll go give this to...," he began saying, but didn't know my Math teacher's name.

"Mrs. Holland."

"Yeah her. Mrs. Holland."

He ushered me away from him with his arm gestures and I walked off. I was leaning against his car until he came to start up the wreck-up piece of junk. I decided against commenting on it out loud. The drive to my house (yes,_ my_ house) was full of chattering Two-Bit's humor and my laughter. We watched some television, ate some chips, and joked around until Steve and Soda came in the evening. Soda continued walking to the kitchen-yelling 'hey, I'm going to go eat some cake along the way- while Steve hung by in the living room to ask about how my escape from the Math test followed through.

"Well, Two-Bit took care of it and thanks for showing me to the right person," I gratified.

"I should make an ad. _'Neep help in bailing out of class, revenge on a teacher, a student or my personal favorite, the principal! Come to Two-Bit! He'll help you with your essential school living needs'_," Two-Bit said dramatically.

"Or help you become scatterbrained and stupid like himself," Steve murmured and ducked when Two-Bit's arm came swinging to smack him. He continued ducking because of Two-Bit's reoccurring swinging arm.

"Anybody wants cake!?" Soda hollered from the kitchen. Steve ran into the kitchen with Two-Bit running right behind him. I walked in from the other entrance leading from the hallway instead of the living room. Soon, we were standing in a circle beside each other around the kitchen table. Two-Bit grabbed one slice of cake before Steve could and made an arrogant look at the glaring seventeen year old. I looked at the plate and saw there was only one slice left. My hand reached for it, but Steve grabbed my wrist before I could move any further. His free hand moved for the cake. My own free hand however grasped it. We began struggling in each other's firm grips until one of Steve's hands became free which made one of mine free also but the other trapped. Sodapop came to try to stop our squabbling but when I turned to see the last slice of cake, it was vanished. I stopped struggling and looked towards Two-Bit who was finishing the last few bites of the last slice. Steve's head was turned to see what I was staring at and anger flared his eyes. Anger flared through both of us and we attacked.

"Ponyboy! Steve! Why'd you have to eat it, Two-Bit?!" Sodapop exclaimed as the three of us, Two-Bit, Steve, and I, wrestled on the cold, kitchen floor.

Ah, the fights the last slice of cake can cause and the friendships it can create.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all of you, who had reviewed, put this story on their favorites or alerts or are 'invisible readers'. You kept me going but I suppose it was also the idea of for once actually finishing something. I'm so grateful that for once I did and probably writing the longest chapter for any multi-chapter fic I've written.

Oh, this maybe my last multi-chapter fic for some time, but I'm considering adding on to _Before, After and Now_ for any of you Sodapop/Sandy fans. ;)

See ya'

:D


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